The Doctor's Destiny Book 1:Terminal Orbit
by Aline Riva
Summary: The Doctor falls ill after a spider bite - and on boarding a medical ship after responding to a distress signal, learns he has been poisoned, and there is no known cure.. Ace decides to find the culprit and an antidote - but what she finds in the cargo hold is horrific - the Master is planning to wipe out the human race, and to ensure the Doctor dies with no hope of regeneration..
1. Chapter 1

**Terminal Orbit**

**From the author:**

**Please note:**

**Set after Survival, as their adventures continue together.**

**And yes, the Seventh Doctor and Ace are paired romantically in this fic, also the Master's character is very dark, so consider this to be slightly AU ~Aline Riva**.

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**Summary**

While visiting a planet that is set to become a brand new earth colony, Ace reflects on her time spent with the Doctor and the realization dawns on her that while a Timelord will live on for many regenerations, she will not - and she begins to think about the true depth of her feelings for the man she calls Professor. But when she attempts to show him how she feels, her happiness is short-lived - a combination of bad timing, rain and a spider bite put an end to what was becoming the start of a romantic stay on a beautiful planet.

Then the Tardis picks up a distress signal from Cassandra-Aurora-1000, a mobile hospital station bound for earth for a refit before travelling back to the newly populated planet, the Doctor decides to board the vessel and investigate. It seems the ship is plagued with malfunctions that cannot be explained, and when it is revealed that the vital refit, necessary to maintain a contract with the colony planet, is being financed by a mysterious company in exchange for transport of a precious artifact in the cargo hold, the Doctor becomes suspicious.

But before he and Ace can investigate further, the Doctor falls ill and is shocked to learn he has been poisoned with a manufactured toxin that mimics unrefined spectrox – the cause of the death of his fifth regeneration, and previously only encountered on Androzani. As the staff on board the ship work to counteract the poison, the Doctor fights to live long enough to reveal the identity of his poisoner in the hope that the culprit also has knowledge of an antidote.

Then the Doctor's condition worsens and Ace finds she is facing her worst fear, a fear she never thought possible – that her Professor could die before her, because the poison is spreading and even attacking his ability to regenerate…

With the Doctor in critical condition Ace is forced to take matters into her own baseball bat-wielding hands, but she soon finds she may be no match for the enemy behind his illness when she finds that enemy is the Master, who is determined to ensure the Doctor's death before continuing to Earth where the terrible secret in the cargo hold will be unleashed, and cause the destruction of earth's population…

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**Rated T: Some adult situations and subjects, some violence.**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing this is a work of fan fiction.**

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Chapter 1

The sky was blue and the sun shone down warming through new leaves and in the distance, if the new houses were not so sleek and the taller buildings such a shining combination of glass and metal, Ace would have thought she was on earth.

But nowhere on earth seemed as unspoiled as this.

Everything felt brand new, and it was…

EdenEarth was to be a new colony, already the main settlement had a population of twenty thousand and that population would soon be expanded by another quarter of a million when more colonists arrived…

"How long did it take to make this place look like earth?" she asked as they walked together across a lush green field, leaving the Tardis behind them where it had landed amongst dense woodland.

"Three hundred years," the Doctor replied, "And one century from now this world will be thriving. There will be factories and shops and even more houses…it's going to be much like earth, but it's clean, nothing's spoiled here."

"Will it last?"

As she glanced at him he caught a darkening in her eyes as if clouds had just covered them over. He didn't doubt Ace was thinking of all the hostility they had encountered in the four years they had travelled together, and he understood why she held those concerns.

"This planet is far from earth, and far from its coming troubles. It's going to be a peaceful place for centuries. I can't say it will never be exposed to war because that's the way the galaxies are made - there's always an adversary out there somewhere, and it's just a question of _when_…but for now, it's a peaceful planet."

Ace frowned.

"What happens here?"

The Doctor gave a sigh.

"Cybermen. But it's a very long way off, and they do not win."

"Because you intervene?"

"One of me does, I'm not sure which one though."

And the Doctor continued to walk towards the gate that led out into a paved street area. When Ace followed him out, he closed the gate behind them and turned to her with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

He knew her too well - and she knew it, too.

"What are you carrying in that rucksack?"

"Essentials."

He arched an eyebrow and folded his arms as he continued to give her that look.

"Okay," she admitted, "You said we had rooms booked at the Eden Palace for one night…so I packed a change of clothes, my hair dryer –"

"Nitro nine?"

His eyes were filled with suspicion.

"_NO!_ And I only brought my bat with me out of habit." Ace knew she was blushing, partly because the man she called Professor knew her too well, and also because she hated lying to him.

"Okay," she admitted, "I brought it with me because…because…oh I don't know, Professor, I just expect trouble!"

"There won't be any trouble here. Keep that bat out of sight at all times, please."

She smiled.

"I wouldn't want to ruin our time here."

He returned her smile.

"Good girl," he said, and playfully touched the tip of her nose.

Then he raised his closed umbrella and pointed it forward, turning the tip in a spiral.

"This way," he told her, "It's a short cut to the hotel."

* * *

As the Doctor and Ace walked on down a tree-lined street passing shops with empty storefronts, they talked about the planet. Ace asked questions and the Doctor answered, telling her of history that was yet to be written.

_And a gloved hand set a metal box down beneath the shade of the trees and then activated a switch._

_The box opened and a shiny metallic spider ran out._

He worked the controls quickly, turning his gaze towards the path and the spider that scurried along towards the Doctor and his companion. Then he watched as the spider caught up and began to climb up into the folds of his closed umbrella.

He hit an activation switch and smiled as his eyes glittered darkly.

"_Oh, you won't get out of this alive, Doctor,"_ said the Master darkly, _"You'll live long enough to see my plan unfold…and then…"_

He trailed off for a moment, watching as they walked towards the entrance to the hotel, and he laughed softly, struggling to stay quiet as the rush of victory hit him like a high as he pictured the outcome.

"_And then earth is mine, you meddling bastard!" _he hissed, and then he laughed again, his shoulders shaking as merriment danced in his eyes as he pictured the Doctor taking his last breath.

"This _is_ the end for you," he said in a low voice, and then he turned back to the shade of the trees and began to walk away, shadows swallowing his black clad form as he made his way back to his own Tardis.

* * *

Ace waited in the wide reception area while the Doctor collected the keys to their rooms. She looked up at the wide ceiling and then to windows decorated with stained glass, the sunlight shone through in a rainbow of colour and she smiled, recalling all he had said about not needing to use her baseball bat this time…

"Ace!"

She turned around.

The Doctor briefly held up a set of keys and smiled, and she hurried over to the lift to join him.

"I think we will enjoy our stay here," he said to her, and the lift doors opened and they stepped inside.

As the doors closed again, he spoke aloud: "Floor nine, please."

And then the lift began to ascend.

"I think you're right," Ace replied, "This is a beautiful place – and this hotel…everything is brand new! This whole word smells brand new."

"That's because it's yet to be polluted," he replied.

The lift was still climbing.

"I'll pay another visit here a few centuries from now and there will be a war going on," he said sadly, "But you won't have to worry about that. The war happens long after your lifetime. You will be dust and carried only in my memories, while I carry on alone, regeneration after regeneration. That's the worst thing about being a Timelord – _I'll out live everyone. Even you_."

Ace felt a jolt and it was nothing to do with the lift coming to a stop at their floor.

She drew in a slow breath, not wanting to think about the day she died and he moved on, never aging, changing one body for another while hers turned to _dust_, as he had so eloquently put it.

"I may only have one lifetime Professor," she said quietly, "But if we can take out memories with us when we die, I'll be taking you with me."

There was a brief, startled look in his eyes and then it was gone.

"Come on," he said, "Let's see what our room is like…"

And he stepped out of the lift and she followed him down a corridor covered with a soft pale carpet.

"Room?" she echoed, "Don't you mean _rooms_?"

He stopped at a door marked 116, and turned a key in the lock.

"No," he replied, pushing the door open, "I booked as the Doctor and companion – I think they took it to mean companion as in, _more_ than friend…"

Ace stepped into the room and her jaw briefly dropped.

"I think you're right," she said, taking in the sight of the wide four poster bed that had been scattered with rose petals. The bed was decorated with a sheer lace canopy and the nets at the window were heavy and brilliant white, as the breeze blew in it carried the scent of the roses that were set in vases around the room.

"This looks like a honeymoon suite."

He glanced over at a big, soft sofa by the window.

"You can take the bed. I don't mind the sofa."

Ace fell silent.

She couldn't look at the Professor, because of the thoughts that had rushed through her mind as she looked at that rose covered bed. It wasn't just the bed that was to blame for conjuring romantic images in her mind about the man who had been her travelling companion for four years, it was also what he had said, he had managed to shatter her hopes and break her heart with one statement, and he knew nothing about it.

Ace knew her heart was racing, partly out of fear and partly out of panic as she wondered if now would be the best time to raise the subject of exactly what they had come to mean to each other over the years.

The Doctor had taken off his hat and coat and hung then up in the wardrobe, closed the door and then he left his umbrella on the bed.

Ace placed her rucksack on the floor and turned to speak to him, but the Doctor had walked over to the balcony and opened the doors.

Cool, sweet air came into the room and once again Ace thought how everything here was brand new.

And now seemed like a good time to take a deep breath and say what had been on her mind and in her heart for a long while.

_"Professor…"_

He said nothing in reply as she joined him on the balcony. He was looking out over lush green fields and towards a flawless beach far in the distance, where azure water rolled to shore on calm tide.

"Professor?" she said again.

"What is it, Ace?"

He sounded far away as his gaze stayed fixed on the horizon.

Ace drew in that much-needed deep breath. And her thoughts swirled as her nerves jangled. The situation would have been much easier to handle if a Dalek had suddenly burst into the room screeching _EXTERMINATE,_ because she had a bat, and she knew how to handle a Dalek with a bat, but she _didn't_ know how to find the words that had been stuck in her heart for so long, and were now stuck in her throat…

_He just didn't know._

_Her Professor was standing there on the balcony admiring the view, and he didn't know._

_He had no clue about the need and the ache she nursed in her heart._

_Telling him had always been a scary thought, because it would be a deciding moment._

_It was final._

_He might take her in his arms and tell her he felt the same way._

_Or he could reject her, and crush all hope at the same time._

_Telling him was definitely scary..._

Ace stepped closer to the balcony and stood beside him.

"Everything feels different here. I mean it's okay, living in the Tardis – but there's always something happening somewhere and then we get dragged into situations and suddenly there's no time."

He slowly turned his head and looked at her with curiosity burning in his eyes.

"Time? Time for what?"

"Like you said, I'll be dust one day. And you will carry on. I'll die before you."

He saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes and instantly wanted to banish it.

"Oh Ace, I was only comparing humans to Timelords! You have many years of life to look forward to, don't think beyond that."

"And what about you?" she asked him.

Her eyes had locked with his. He was looking at her like he knew something was up, and she knew there was no backing out now.

_This was it, the moment of truth…_

"What about me?" he asked quietly.

"Will you miss me when I'm dead?"

Her words had cut him to the bone.

He turned back to the view beyond the balcony as he drew in a slow breath.

"Of course I will, you silly human! Don't talk like that, it's not something I want to think about – and we are here to relax, not to think about sad times and things we can't change."

Then he looked at her again.

"It's lonely, being a Timelord…"

And as he continued to speak, the robotic spider crawled out of folded umbrella and scuttled across the bed. But the Doctor was still speaking on the balcony, and Ace was listening.

"I've known so many friends, companions, lovers… I have this weakness for seeking the company of humans and I pay for it every single time when I'm reminded of their fragile mortality. It's not the same for me, Ace – I can live for years in a single regeneration. And when death does come, it simply means change, not the end. That's why my life is lonely."

She frowned.

"Are you saying you're sorry we ever met?"

The sparkle returned to his eyes and he smiled

"Of course not!" he said warmly, "I wouldn't be without you, I lo… I mean, _like_ you very much. I care about you. I thought you knew that."

She smiled and her heart raced as she felt sure he had almost let a secret slip. Maybe he was the same, hiding his feelings away for fear of all the reasons she feared – perhaps human and Timelord were not so different when it came to affairs of the heart…

"You said lovers…human lovers?"

"A few were human, yes."

He looked right into her eyes and she felt caught there.

"Why do you ask?"

She hesitated and he knew why, he saw the look in her eyes, sensed her fear as it reflected in her eyes and she struggled to find the words to convey her feelings. It was a look he had seen many times before in his many lives, and it was never easy to deal with.

"Because…"

Those words were getting stuck again. Ace took in a deep breath.

"You're not just a friend to me. I've known you four years. I've changed in that time; I've seen the galaxy with you. And I've come to realise how much I love you. And it breaks my heart to think one day I'll be dust and you will just go on without me. I want to make the most of now, my life is one lifetime but yours is many. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Professor?"

He gave a sigh.

"You and me, together? As in, together united by more than friendship, together in _every_ way we possibly can be? It's a nice idea, but I've been there before. And like I said, one day you will be gone and I will be left alone. I know I sound selfish but it's a big heartache for me – I've paid the price many times for falling in love with a human. It's not very practical, too. You have one life and I have many and can't give you a spare one."

Ace felt confused.

"But I'm happy to have this one life, Professor, I just want to spend it with you!"

_"And you do."_

"But I want more. I can't help the way I feel."

She blinked away tears that were starting to sting at her eyes as he looked out towards the distant coast and tried not to think about much except not crying in front of the Professor.

"Sorry, I should have thought before I opened my big mouth. I won't mention it again."

He put his hands on her shoulder, and as she stood there in a short denim skirt and a top that hung off her shoulders, she gave a sigh, feeling his warm hands brush gently against her exposed shoulders.

"It's not that I don't love you," he said softly, "I _do_, that's why I don't want to get myself hurt. I'll be the one that's left behind. I'll outlive you and that would not be fair on me, because if my heart broke for you, it would never go back together, not like it was before. You mean too much to me."

She was still looking ahead. He knew she was fighting back her tears and he knew she would not cry in front of him, because he knew Ace.

But as he stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders, he thought on all she had said.

Her words had made his twin hearts sing with joy, but he felt obligated to remind her of the downside of such a situation before he so considered what he wanted to do about it:

_He had grown to love Ace long ago._

_The Doctor had come to think of her as a part of his life as dear to him as the Tardis was._

He could not imagine a future without her in it, and he had never told her that…

Suddenly he wished he had kept his thoughts on her human mortality to himself instead of voicing them aloud, now Ace had thought too deeply about the subject and brought much more to the surface, she had raised feelings in both of them that he wished she had left alone. Some emotions, like dogs, were meant to be left to lie and sleep…

_But it was too late now._

His hands were _still_ on her shoulders.

"I never want to hurt you in any way, Ace," he said gently, "It has never been my intention to cause you sadness, not for a single moment. You mean far too much for me to –"

"Professor, it's okay. _Forget I said it_."

She had sounded tense as she forced back her true emotions and continued to focus on water that rolled to shore far off in the distance beyond the lush green fields.

The Doctor drew in a breath and let it out slowly and she felt that breath across the back of her shoulder and she ached more, but she didn't dare to think about how it would have felt to have his lips brush against her flesh, soft as butterfly wings as he gave her the gentlest of kisses, because it would not happen and if she carried on wishing, she knew she may as well spend the rest of her life sticking pins in the back of her hand, because the pain would be similar to the sharp ache that lingered in her heart like it had decided to live there forever, and sod her opinion on the matter…

His hands remained on her shoulders.

_"I can't,"_ he said, _"I can't forget it because you've said it now. You thought it before, and you kept it inside. I did the same. But you've done it now, you've said it, you've set it free and neither of us can stuff that genie back into the bottle."_

Ace froze, feeling his breath on her shoulder again. She wondered why his voice had lowered, why his hands where still on her shoulders, and why he had not stepped back the minute he had turned her down.

She didn't want to feel a spark of hope in her heart, because that hope was false…

_Or was it?_

"I'm not sure what you're trying to say," Ace told him, and she turned her head and met his gaze and saw him standing there smiling at her.

"I'm saying, it's not a good idea because of the difference in our life spans," he replied, "But I never did like the idea of a little thing like my ability to regenerate to stand in the way of love."

Ace continued to look at him. He had a sparkle in his eyes and she was struggling to work him out.

He had said no, and now he was looking at her as if no meant yes…

"I'm lost…"

He turned around, stepping in front of her, and then he placed his hand back on her shoulders as their eyes met.

"I was only saying I can live many lives and you only have one. That's all. I didn't say I didn't love you, and I didn't say we couldn't be together."

Ace started to smile.

Hope was rising in her heart and doing so with courage now, because she knew she could finally dare to dream.

"I think you did say we couldn't be together – and then you changed your mind."

She was looking into his eyes, searching for an answer.

"Why _did_ you change your mind, Professor?"

"Because I love you," he said softly, "That's why. I've tried to ignore it, wish it away, close my eyes to it…but nothing works. I can't switch off those emotions because they are real. Love is something worth respecting, not casting aside - I could never deny its existence! It makes life worth living, it's the one positive emotion that binds together all living things capable of feeling. _Its precious_."

Then he leaned closer, hesitated for a moment, and then he finally kissed her. It was a brief kiss that lasted seconds and as she closed her eyes, she swiftly opened them again as thunder rumbled across the sky and rain began to fall, hitting her shoulders and soaking through her clothing.

She had been so intent on focusing on her conversation with the Doctor that she had failed to notice the dark storm clouds rolling over, and now as the rain fell, he grabbed her by the hand and they ran from the balcony to the shelter of their room.

* * *

As the sound of the rain was shut out as the Doctor closed the balcony doors, Ace pushed her wet hair off her face.

"I can't believe the way that weather changed so fast!"

She sat down on the bed and he went into the bathroom and came out again and handed her a towel.

Ace began to dry her hair, and she was still talking about the rapid change in the weather.

"That was nuts, Professor! One second it was blue skies, the next it was coming down like a monsoon!"

The Doctor sat beside her.

"I may have miscalculated the seasons here…we may not be quite in early summer. It's more likely the Tardis actually landed in the rainy season."

Ace finished drying her hair and she laughed as she looked at the Doctor.

"You brought us here in the rainy season…so I guess it means we'll be stuck in this hotel until the rain stops!"

"I'm sorry Ace –"

"Don't be," she said softly, "Now I have an excuse to keep you in this room, have you all to myself…"

She had loosened his paisley tie, and then as she slid it off and paused to kiss his cheek, she placed her hand on his shoulder, but he put his own over it and held it in a gentle grasp as he looked into her eyes.

"I've lived for centuries," he reminded her, "I'm in no rush, Ace. Let's not ruin this. Let's take it nice and slow."

She nodded.

"Of course," she replied, "That makes perfect sense, why would you be in a hurry? You're a Timelord."

"And I'd very much like to be a warm and comfortable Timelord," he told her, taking off his damp question mark jumper and then kicking off his shoes, "Lie down with me, let's cuddle."

Ace lay on her side and looked into his eyes as she realized she was seeing a whole new side to the Professor.

She had tried to imagine what he was like as a lover, but he had never talked about that side of his life, or let her get close enough to find out – until now. She had not expected him to put his arm around her and pull her close, then lay there simply enjoying her closeness as he ran his hand over her hair and she rested with her head on his shoulder.

"I could lay like this all day long," he told her, and she smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"If that's what you want to do, I'm happy to do it," she told him.

And he leaned in and gave her another gentle kiss.

_And the robotic spider scuttled across the pillow, ran up the Doctor's shoulder and sank a small needle into the back of his neck, delivering the poison just as the Master had planned._

The Doctor gave a gasp and sat up, reaching around to the sharp pain that had cut into him unexpectedly.

_"Something just bit me!"_ he exclaimed, grabbing at the wound again as the bite began to burn and throb.

And Ace caught sight of something small and shiny scuttling away. She jumped off the bed and drew her baseball bat from her rucksack, and then she held the bat in both hands as she set her sights on the silver creature that scuttled for the door, vowing to pulverize whatever was responsible for biting the Professor…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ace swung the bat and it hit the floor with a crash, then she swung it again and wood splintered.

"_Ace!"_

She slammed the bat down again. The thing was now on its back with eight silver legs moving like it wanted to run but couldn't turn over and right itself.

"Don't worry, Professor," she said breathlessly, eyes fixed on the silver spider, "It won't get away with it…"

"But it was just a little bite, I'm okay!"

Ace smacked the bat down again, and the spider lay broken and buckled. Liquid oozed out of a hollow interior, and the thing fell still at last.

She put down the bat and smiled at the Doctor.

"That'll teach it to bite you!"

The Doctor took his hand away from his neck as the throbbing pain subsided and then he got off the bed.

"There is nothing dangerous on this planet, nothing poisonous! You didn't have to kill it, Ace!"

She frowned.

"But it hurt you, Professor. You know how much you mean to me, I never want anything to hurt you."

"And you can't save me forever," he reminded her, and again she thought of what he had said, that one day she would be dust, and would live on…

"Sorry, I was just trying to help. I know you hate violence, you hate killing things…"

Ace sounded upset now.

The Doctor leaned closer, inspecting the broken silver spider.

"Careful!" she said in alarm, but as he picked it up by a battered metallic leg, he looked at it closely and then held it up in front of her.

"You didn't kill anything," he told her, "It's robotic…what's a robotic spider doing on a brand new colony world? It shouldn't be here, it's not part of the plan for this planet…"

Ace looked at the remains of the metallic creature.

"Maybe someone built a pet spider."

The Doctor fell silent for a moment as he turned over many possibilities in his mind.

"Maybe..." he said quietly, and then he put the battered remains on the bedside table and paused to rub the back of his neck as he became aware of a vague ache.

"I'm trying to think back to everything I ever heard about this place…I'm sure they didn't have a need for robotic creatures of any kind – they brought bees and spiders and butterflies here from earth along with other wildlife – but there was nothing in the plans about robotic spiders, I'm sure of it."

"Then I must have smashed up someone's android pet," she replied, "It's their fault – what kind of idiot makes a spider that can bite? I'm glad I broke it."

Pain flickered through the wound and pain registered on the Doctor's face as he rubbed the back of his neck again.

"I'm certain it was most likely constructed privately – _and_ illegally. Something like that wouldn't be permitted on this planet, it's a very safe environment."

"Are you okay? "

He caught a flicker of worry in her eyes as he sat down and turned his head cautiously, still pressing his hand against the bite mark.

"I think so – I feel a bit sore…doesn't feel like a true spider bite, just like someone stuck a needle in me…it probably had metallic teeth. Maybe it malfunctioned and the person who built it lost it or let it go…"

Ace sat beside him and suddenly her eyes lit up as she thought of an idea.

"Let's have a look – does it have teeth?"

She reached for the remains of the spider and the Doctor gently brushed her hand away.

"Don't bother," he told her, "You smashed it to bits! There's nothing left of it that can tell us anything, part from the fact that it had a hollow abdominal cavity. The remains of the wiring seemed to be based in the cephalothorax…I don't know what that fluid was that spilled out when you smashed it…I doubt I could get a sample of it, certainly not enough for the Tardis to analyse. Maybe I could if I took a scraping from inside the cavity –"

"Professor, it's _just_ a toy spider!"

Worry briefly clouded his eyes, and then it was gone.

"You're probably right," he said, "But it's the last thing I expected to find here…"

"Maybe it belonged to the person who stayed in this room before us," Ace suggested.

"No," he replied, "We are the first guests to stay here. The hotel opened yesterday and we are the first to stay on this floor."

Ace started to smile.

"We've got a whole floor to ourselves? No one to hear us through the wall…"

"Hear what?"

He was still thinking about the spider, and then he smiled as a sparkle came to his eyes.

"Oh…yes I see, no one to hear _us_…"

And he shifted closer to Ace and as their eyes met he spoke to her softly.

"_I've missed you."_

They were so close his lips almost brushed hers as he spoke.

"Missed me?" she wondered, "Why would you miss me, I'm always around!"

He looked deep into her eyes and struggled with his own emotions as he spoke again, he was not the most open of men and in the past had frequently held back from Ace in so many ways, and now the one secret he still held was about to be revealed…

_"I've missed you every day, every night, from the moment we first met. I've missed you by my side like this for all that time, because I fell in love with you at first sight and I never said a word."_

As Ace looked into his eyes she saw nothing but absolute truth reflected back at her.

"You've _always_ loved me?"

He nodded, then drew in a breath and took her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"I love you so much, Ace," he whispered, "You don't know how much, you don't know what it's been like for me, I kept it all back from you."

"You didn't have to," she told him, "It would have been okay."

And then they looked into each others eyes as they sat there embracing, and neither said another word.

Then he kissed her again and this time the kiss was deep and lasting and then he pushed her gently back against the mattress and ignored the ache in his neck left by the spider and softly ran his hands over her body, he kissed her tenderly as he started to undress her and she reached up to his shirt and tugged at the buttons.

And then they were finally in bed, beneath soft sheets as she reached for him and he took her in his arms, and then he took over completely, holding her gently but firmly as he showed her what it meant to share a bed with a Timelord who had lived many lifetimes and would live many more, and Ace brushed aside thoughts of her own fragile human existence as she finally found out what it felt like to be made love to by her Professor.

* * *

_Ace slept well._

She slept in his arms, their bodies warm together as he held her and then slipped into a deep sleep. She watched him as he slept, the light was fading fast and as shadows drew in she held him tighter, smiling as he shifted position and snored lightly against the pillow.

Then she had drifted off to sleep, happy and feeling as if every day from now on would be like living in a dream and she would have to constantly remind herself that it was real, it was all her wishes come true at once – she finally had her Professor where she needed him to be, right next to her as his twin hearts beat in unison and his chest rose and fell as he rested beside her.

Then after a deep dark rest of warm contentedness where no bad dreams of old battles could reach her, she woke up with a jolt.

She heard rapid breathing and realised the sheets were damp with sweat and then reached for the bedside light and snapped it on, turning anxiously to the Doctor.

Ace looked at him in alarm as he drew in another breath and pressed his hand to the centre of his chest.

"Professor? "

He took in another breath, closed his eyes and then opened them again and shifted his hand from his chest to the back of his neck.

"Something's wrong, Ace…my hearts were racing and it was hard to breathe…it's easing up now… I was burning up…my neck hurts…"

He took his hand off the spider bite as Ace shifted closer and swept her hand over his hair, pushing it up from the back of his neck.

What she saw made her catch her breath.

"Professor, that bite…it's really red and swollen…I think you must be allergic or something…"

His head was starting to ache.

"Don't be silly, Ace! I can't be allergic to a robotic spider!"

"It looks bad." She sounded worried.

He got up and went over to the dressing table as she rifled down her rucksack and then thrust a small compact mirror into his hand, briefly smiling as he opened it.

"You keep cosmetics in there too?"

"Some…"

"Next to the baseball bat and the nitro nine? Only you would do that, Ace. _Another reason why I love you_."

His smile faded as he positioned the mirror and looked into the glass, seeing the bite reflected in the compact.

"We need to get back to the Tardis in the morning. I'm sure I've got something I can put on this – and I want to analyse the contents that spilled out of that spider. Maybe it contained some kind of fluid that ensured smooth contact between the working parts…some kind of machine oil…I'm _definitely_ allergic to something!"

He put the compact down and turned back to Ace, who was looking troubled.

"_I hope it's not me,"_ she said quietly, and despite his pain he laughed.

"Of course its not you! Did you think I might be allergic to sex with a human female? My life really would be unbearable if that was true! I've been making love with human partners for centuries!"

And then he leaned closer and kissed her.

"I'm definitely not allergic to you!"

Then he caught his breath as pain flickered through his neck and seemed to shoot down his spine and up to his aching head at the same time.

"I need to lie down."

He got up and stumbled and Ace steadied him.

"Sorry…I'll be fine…I didn't mean to fall against you like that. I think I just need to rest."

As she helped him back into bed, Ace felt a flicker of panic pass through her as the wondered how he could have become so unwell so quickly.

"What if you get worse? What if this reaction doesn't wear off?"

He rested against the softness of the pillow and felt glad to be off his feet; lying down seemed to ease the pain that ran up his back and into his head.

"I'll be fine," he promised her, "I just need to go back to sleep. Come here…"

And Ace lay beside him as he gave a weary sigh and closed his eyes again.

She thought about turning out the light, but decided against it, because the light would help her to stay awake. She had no intention of sleeping while the Professor was so unwell. But the time dragged on and he slept easily, oblivious to the discomfort he felt while awake. And somewhere between five am and sunrise, Ace fell asleep beside him.

* * *

As she heard him say her name, she opened her eyes.

She looked up and saw the Professor standing over her. He was dressed and ready to leave and as he looked down at her he smiled.

"Good morning, my rare and beautiful Ace," he said fondly, "I'd kiss you but bending is little difficult. My back, neck and head hurts every time I move but I think I'm feeling better than I did last night. I had a hot shower, that did me good." And his eyes sparkled as he added, "Maybe you should have a shower too. _You smell like you've been up to no good with a Timelord_…"

Ace smiled too as she sat up, then she got out of bed and gave him a kiss that lingered.

"That's definitely done me good!" he exclaimed, "Thank you nurse."

And she laughed softly as she caught the playful look in his eyes.

"I don't mind playing nurse," she said, "Just don't scare me like that again! I was really worried about you last night!"

"I'm a Timelord," he reminded her, pausing as his gaze roamed over her body as he watched her walk naked to the bathroom, "I'm pretty resilient to toxins. I'll be okay."

He heard Ace switch on the shower and he longed to undress and join her, but instead he took a slow breath and sat down on the bed as pain flickered up and down his spine and started to throb inside his head once more. He had been standing up too long and the pain was definitely still present – but he had been determined to hide the worst of it from Ace simply because he loved the girl and after all they had shared, did not want this new chapter of their lives to begin with a heap of worry laid at her feet. He was hoping he had some medication in the Tardis that would put an end to his pain. He was counting on it, because if he couldn't control it, he had no clue what do about it, because analysing the unknown substance inside the robotic spider could take hours, even days…

Ace was still in the shower.

The Doctor didn't feel like food because the pain was lingering and made him feel slightly sick, but he decided they could stay a little while longer and have breakfast in the room before they left, simply because he knew she would be hungry.

He picked up the phone and called for room service, and then he sat back against the pillows and drew in another slow breath as he broke out in a light sweat and fought off another wave of pain that he wanted to hide from Ace.

* * *

A short while later, after Ace had dressed and then enjoyed breakfast as the Doctor drank half his tea and barely touched his own food, they were on their way out of the hotel.

On the way down to the ground floor Ace complained constantly about the fact that the spider bite had ruined their stay, and she was still in the same frame of mind when the lift doors opened and they stepped out.

"I've got to say something about it!" she said, and as pain flickered through his body the Doctor decided against using valuable energy reminding her it was _not _the fault of the hotel staff.

She went up to the main reception and hit the bell loudly, making the woman behind the desk look up sharply.

"Oi!" said Ace, "You might find a bit of damage in our room. It was me, because I had to _kill_ something that bit the Professor! What sort of hotel lets a dangerous spider run about anyway?"

The woman looked confused.

"There are no bugs of any description in this hotel!" she exclaimed, "This is a new building, constructed to high standard –"

"I can _show_ you what I killed in my room!"

Ace turned back to the Doctor, who had turned pale and started to sweat as he leaned heavier on his umbrella and tried to hide his pain.

"Come on Ace, we're leaving!" he said sharply, and turned for the door.

Ace noticed he was slightly pale and abandoned her complaint, turning for the exit and hurrying after him.

"Wait for me!" she called out, feeling concern for the Doctor as she thought again how pale he looked.

* * *

As she caught up with him he was heading for the path that led back through the tree-lined walkway that would eventually lead to the Tardis.

"Sorry but I had to say something, that spider made you ill, and you still don't look right!"

The Doctor stopped walking and turned sharply to Ace as a trickle of sweat ran down his face.

He was definitely unwell, and now as she took a closer look at him she saw just how pale he had become, and she also noticed he was shivering slightly.

"Professor, you look terrible!"

"Ace, it doesn't matter about the hotel, it's not their fault," he said, "And I believe they know nothing about it. Just forget about blame and let's get back to the Tardis and then I can try and find out what's wrong with me. It could be nothing to do with the bite, it could be a coincidence."

And he carried on walking stiffly up the path and Ace walked alongside him, keeping worried and watchful eyes on him as her concern grew.

"You don't look right – you said you felt better, but you look worse now!"

"I'll be fine," he said under his breath, trying to block out the discomfort as he walked on, knowing every step took him closer to the Tardis.

Ace continued to worry as they made their way across the field and towards the woodland, but said nothing more to voice her fears, because the Doctor seemed to be rapidly growing worse and she knew pointing that out to him would not help matters at all...

* * *

As they entered the Tardis the Doctor gave a weary sigh, relieved to hear the door close behind Ace as he approached the console.

He leaned heavily against it as he activated the controls and the Tardis left the surface of the planet.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

The Doctor took the remains of the smashed up spider out of his pocket, then searched another pocket for his sonic screwdriver.

"Nowhere – not yet…I've set us on a slow course towards earth…I need time to get a sample off this spider and see what the Tardis can find out…this could take time…"

He activated the screwdriver and Ace watched as the metal heated quickly and the Doctor opened up a drawer in the console and scraped out a sliver of metal from the inside of the spider's steel belly. Then he placed it in a clear container and closed the drawer again and pushed some buttons.

"You think this will take a while?"

"Yes, it probably will."

The Doctor was reading computerised results on a small screen that began to scroll rapidly, and then he put the screwdriver back in his pocket and turned to Ace, instantly noticing the worried look on her face.

"It was only a small bite. I'm sure it can't do much harm, you're probably right about it being a robotic pet that malfunctioned. I'm probably allergic to the fluid that makes the parts move together."

Ace frowned.

"But if it was just a simple component, wouldn't the Tardis have picked it up by now?"

"I don't know, it has many toxins listed in the data base but there are still some out there I've yet to encounter…don't worry about me, I'm just a bit sore."

"And cold," she said quietly, "You're shivering, Professor."

He forced a smile, trying to hide his pain from Ace. They had just taken their close friendship to the next level and it meant as much to him as it did to her, and he was determined nothing would ruin the occasion.

"Its just an allergic reaction, "he said, "I'm sure it will wear off soon – what's that?"

He turned to a flashing light on the console.

"Has the Tardis finished analysing the toxin? Is it okay, are _you_ okay, Professor?"

He looked up from the screen that showed a wide map of space and gave her a weary look.

"Will you please forget about me for a minute! I've just picked up a distress signal…"

He keyed in some co ordinates and the space outside the window became a blur as the Tardis shifted forward, spinning past stars so quickly they seemed to blur into rays of light. Then the Tardis slowed and the view from the window was clear once more.

Ace walked over and looked out, her eyes wide as she saw a huge silver vessel out there in space, moving in a slow circular motion, orbiting nothing. She read the lettering along the side of the ship:

"Cassandra-Aurora One Thousand?"

The Doctor thought back to the history he had once learned about this Earth colony planet and the key vessels linked to it.

"I believe the Cassandra Aurora was a vast mobile hospital," he said, "Back in the early days of the new planet. It had to return the earth for a refit before Doctor Carla Bailey could sign the big contract to permanently return the base to the colony…. I can't remember the rest…"

He paused to rub his temples and as he looked back at Ace, he seemed so weary all of a sudden that it shocked her.

"You need to lie down."

"No," he said, "That ship is sending out a distress signal for a reason – and its not too far away from the colony to turn back, so _why _is it stuck in orbit like that? I need to open a channel."

Ace said no more as she watched the Doctor tune in the Tardis to the ship's signal. He was perspiring heavily and his face was pale. She was afraid he might collapse, and she wondered what would happen if he did, because she did _not_ know how to fly the Tardis…Ace cancelled that thought - if he collapsed, she just wanted to know he would be okay before she jumped ahead into imagining a situation where she would be left alone with his dead body as the police box drifted through time and space for eternity…

The screen turned to static and then the image cleared and a man looked back at them. He was around forty with short brown hair and pale eyes and as he looked into the screen, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"At last…someone can hear us! This is the Cassandra-Aurora, we are a medical ship en route to earth and our systems are failing…we cannot signal back to the colony for help, something is blocking us. Who are you, and can you help in any way?"

"I am the Doctor," he said, "_THE_ Doctor, the Timelord from Gallifrey known to earth for many centuries…I may be able to help you. I need to come aboard and take a look at your main system."

Relief shone in the captain's eyes.

"The Doctor! What luck, of course we know of you…the history books are full of accounts of all you have done for the earth…thank you so much, I will lower shields at once. And I'll let Dr Bailey know you're on the way. I'm in charge of the flight crew, she runs everything else…I'll have her meet you when you board. Can you land your Tardis on Deck Two? Most of the ship is closed down, we're making the flight home with minimal crew, the ships going back for maintenance."

The Doctor nodded.

"Tell Dr Bailey I'll be with her very soon," he replied, and then he closed the channel.

Ace watched as he keyed in a flight path to the ship.

"Are you sure you should be doing this? Maybe we should wait until the Tardis tells us what's wrong with you."

"That could take a while," he replied, turning dials and pressing buttons, "And that ship can't stay in orbit like that forever."

He activated a lever and the Tardis wheezed and groaned in its familiar way and the view through the window of outer space beyond melted away, replaced by a solid steel wall as the Tardis landed on board the Cassandra-Aurora.

The Doctor paused for moment, both hands on the console as he rested, drawing in a slow breath as he tried to fight off the pain that flickered through his body.

"This won't take long," he said to Ace, "They've probably got a small glitch with their flight program…if I can repair it, we can be out of here in an hour and on our way to Earth…by the time we get there I'll know what's caused this reaction."

"Why Earth?" Ace asked.

He picked up his umbrella and headed for the door of the Tardis.

"Because I can't be certain what's wrong with me," he said quietly, "And if it's serious I can't be flying about the galaxy with you on board, it wouldn't be fair if the worst happened."

As the Tardis door opened Ace stared at him.

"No," she said defiantly, "Whatever happens, I'm _with_ you. I'm not leaving you, Professor."

And she took hold of his hand and gently squeezed it.

"I'll never walk away from you," she promised, and her words warmed his heart more than he cared to show.

"I know that," he said fondly, and then he reluctantly let go of her hand, laying aside their new found closeness as he left the Tardis and stepped out into a wide passageway with metal walls and a tall ceiling. Ace joined him and paused to close the door of the police box.

* * *

_"You must be the Doctor! A man of legend! This is such an honour!"_ said a warm female voice.

Ace turned from the door of the Tardis to see the Doctor raise his hat and then smile at the woman who stood before him in dark, tight fitting clothing. Her chestnut hair fell to her shoulders in waves and her dark eyes sparkled.

"It's a real pleasure to meet you too," she said, and Ace felt a prickle of envy as she noticed the way the Doctor looked at her so intently. She was sure she had never noticed any suggestion of him flirting with another woman in all the time they had travelled together, but of course he had…she just hadn't noticed, or been so aware of it. Now she felt as if she would be envious for the rest of her life, because she had only just caught sight of the mildly flirtatious look about his eyes.

"…And this is Ace," he said as he introduced her, "Ace, this is Doctor Carla Bailey."

Ace turned to him and lowered her voice.

"_And you fancy her."_

The Doctor smiled and shook his head.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Carla, and shook her hand.

"_Ace is my fiancée,"_ he added, and seeing the look of surprise on her face made him smile again and almost forget the pain he was feeling.

"I'll start by taking a look at your main system," the Doctor said, "I'm hoping I'll be able to fix the problem so you can be on your way."

Then he drew a handkerchief from his pocket and paused to wipe sweat from his face.

Ace had barely noticed as she thought about what he had just said.

"Did you mean that?"  
He glanced at her.

"Of course I did - _if _you lose that unnecessarily jealous streak of yours!"

"I'm sorry Professor…" Ace began

"This way, Doctor," said Carla, and lead the way to the main control centre, and the Doctor quickly followed.

"Wait for me!" Ace called out, and ran to catch up with him, partly because she envied Carla Bailey, but mostly because she had realised the Professor had actually called her his fiancée, and the more she thought about it, the bigger her smile became.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ace stood back and watched as the Doctor took the cover off a large metal panel and set it aside.

Within the panel, wires and circuits ran in all directions, going deep into machinery. They were in a small, dimly lit room in the heart of the ship where the main system was situated. A single bright light above lit up the contents of the panel and as the doctor looked inside, he frowned.

"Your maintenance staff have checked all this?"

"Thoroughly," Carla replied, "Nothing seems to be amiss. But we've had problems since takeoff. It was minor initially, lights flickering, doors opening and closing without the auto switch being activated – and now _this _– we were headed on our course to earth and I told the captain to turn back to get the glitches solved before we went into deep space flight, but as soon as we tried to alter course, the ship went into orbital mode and it won't switch back."

"And there seems to be nothing wrong – _at first glance_..." he said thoughtfully as he peered deep into the maze of wiring.

Then he reached inside and disconnected a small chip and showed it to Carla.

"At first glance, this small piece of equipment looks fine, but if I turn it over –"

"That's not the chip!" she exclaimed, "Every component has the manufacturer's stamp on it - this is blank?"

The doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and began to work on the pattern set in the chip, bending the pathway of the circuit.

"I can make a change to the pattern that will take you out of orbit mode but I can't promise there will be no more minor malfunctions – this is the result of deliberate sabotage, it most likely happened while you were still docked at the colony, who had access to the ship?"

Carla's eyes widened.

"You think someone did this on purpose? Why?"

"Because your vessel is known as an inter galactic centre of excellence, and they want to stop you having the refit to make the ship acceptable for permanent residence at the colony. This could be about a business rival."

She shook her head.

"I don't see how its possible – until the main body of colonists arrive the traffic flow into the planet is restricted, only necessary vessels are allowed through. This ship is vast, we have had our regular maintenance crew comprising of three thousand people working on it purely for routine maintenance, all of them are long term, trusted workers – and none would have access the kind of technology that can replicate a chip like this."

"There are probably many fake chips set about the systems through out this ship," the Doctor told her as he finished working on the chip, "Its good that you're heading back now - when you reach earth you must have the entire ship stripped down, replace everything, even the wiring. Someone has compromised your security. How many people do you have on board?"

"Maintenance and flight crew and a few medical staff returning to earth, some permanently – I don't have an exact number without looking at the passenger list but it's around three hundred. We're running on a skeleton crew. Most the ship is closed off, it's usually alive with activity - it's not just a medical centre, we have shopping malls and dining areas and recreational places – we also have a relaxation and recovery zone for patients that creates three dimensional holographics. This place is the size of a small town, Doctor."

"So I'm assuming if someone got past security it would be easy to hide here?"

Carla's face paled.

"Security sweeps have showed nothing unusual but…in theory, yes…"

"That's an issue you need to take up with the company that refurbishes this vessel," he said to her, "But I've fixed your main problem – as soon as I put this chip back, your captain will be able to shift out of orbit."

Then a monitor lit up on the wall and the captain spoke at once:

"Dr Bailey – it's worked! We're moving out of orbit and back on original course."

"Thank you, Captain Bracken," she replied, and the channel went dark.

"Professor?" Ace said, wondering why he had paused with the chip in his hand and a confused look on his face as Carla took the call.

"_Oliver Bracken…"_ The Doctor said, turning the name over in his mind.

"That's right, he's the captain of this vessel," Carla replied.

The Doctor blinked, then he looked to Ace, and then to the chip he still held in his hand.

"I don't understand how this happened," he said, turning beck to Carla, "You should still be locked in orbit until I put the chip back. That means there's either another control device hidden somewhere, or someone is controlling it by alternative means that have taken over your entire system…"

"We ran a routine security sweep before take off. Nothing showed up then, like I said, most of this vessel is shut down, it's deserted."

"Professor…"

Ace sounded worried, and he knew why. He was leaning against the open panel as he shivered and a trickle of sweat ran down his ashen face. He was feeling terrible - and what Carla had just said had triggered off something deep in his memory, something from long ago, that he would have recalled if he hadn't been so unwell because of the spider bite…

"Are you all right, Doctor?" Carla asked him.

He looked at her, and her words about the ship being deserted echoed in his mind.

Something was stirring deep in his memory:

_It was a ghost ship._

_He saw the vessel explode in a ball of brilliant light that stood out blinding white against the blackness of space._

"You're all ghosts…ship of the dead…" he whispered, and Carla's flesh melted from her face, it slipped away leaving a skull behind with eyeless sockets.

He drew in a shocked breath.

_"All ghosts…"_ he said, and staggered back as Ace reached for him. He fell against her and she steadied him, and he heard her day his name again. Not the name he was known by, just her name for him: _Professor._

The Doctor blinked, his vision cleared and he looked back at the face of Carla Bailey. She stood there looking very much alive and well, but now with a hint of concern in her dark eyes.

"Doctor?" she asked, "What's wrong? And what did you just say about ghosts?"

"What did you mean?" Ace said to him.

She was still holding on to him.

"Nothing…forget what I said, I'm fine!" he told her sharply, shrugging her off and taking a deep breath as he silently cursed the unsteadiness that had come over him along with a chill that had deepened as the images of death had run through his mind.

"No you're not!" Ace said, and she turned to Carla.

"He's _not_ okay! Look at him, he can barely stand up!"

The Doctor gave a weary sigh.

"I was only bitten by a spider –"

"A robotic spider," Ace cut in, addressing Carla, "You should see the back of his neck, it looks bad!"

Then she caught the disapproving look he shot her and it was enough to remind her she had said too much for his liking.

"I've had a reaction to some kind of fluid inside the android. It's probably mild -"

_"It's not."_

He turned to Ace and saw the apologetic look in her eyes.

"It's not," she said again, "You look terrible, Professor. I'm really worried about you."

"And the Tardis is perfectly capable of breaking down the composition of the toxin, I'm sure I'll be able to find something to counteract it. Stop being so dramatic, Ace! I'm fine!"

"How long will it take for the Tardis to analyse the toxin?" Carla asked.

"I don't know," he replied, "It depends if the system is familiar with the poison. If not it may take much longer…" And he wiped sweat from his face and shivered again.

"This vessel is graded as a centre of medical excellence," Carla reminded him, "And our poisons database is vast, it's listed as the finest in the known galaxy. Maybe you should let me take a look at you. I'm confident our database can identify the toxin for you, and most likely list an antidote too – if an antidote is needed."

The Doctor was still sweating as he drew in a breath and tried to counteract the dizziness that swept over him as he handed the chip back to Carla.

"This was not the cause of your problem. The problem is far greater – something was manipulating your ship. Step up your security; I can't help in any other way until the Tardis identifies the toxin. I can handle this, I don't need your help."

He stepped away from the panel and paused to rub his temples.

"Ace, we're leaving."

"But Professor, she might be able to help -"

_"I said we're leaving!"_

He leaned heavily on his umbrella and blinked several times to clear his vision and then walked to the door. Ace followed, catching up with him as he stepped out into the corridor.

"What if the Tardis can't identify the toxin? Carla might be able to help. Please give her a chance."

As he looked at her sweat ran down his face, but determination was set in his eyes.

"We're leaving!" he said again, and then the corridor span violently and the Doctor fell to the floor heavily, where he lay sprawled on the metal walkway with his eyes shut as he breathed heavily and shivered as more sweat ran down his face.

Ace dropped to her knees beside him and shook him gently.

"Professor…Professor, wake up!" her voice was rising in panic.

As she looked up at Carla her eyes were filled with fear.

"Help him!"

Carla reached for an emergency button and pressed it.

"I will help him," she said, kneeling beside her as she loosened the Doctor's tie and paused to press her fingertips against the side of his neck as she checked his pulse.

"Please don't die," Ace whispered.

"Help is on the way," Carla promised her, "I'll have him taken to the emergency department on level one, it's the only part of the hospital we kept open during the flight back to earth, but I can access all I need from there."

Ace was looking at his closed eyes as she grabbed his hand and rubbed the back of it, but he gave no response.

"He can't die," she whispered as she continued to look at him, "No, he can't…"

"I promise you I will do all I can to save him," Carla replied, "Try and stay calm."

"I can't," Ace said tearfully as she looked at the Professor and clung to his hand as she waited for help to arrive.

* * *

Carla's voice began to drift into his mind.  
_"Doctor, you're in the emergency room. You passed out while working on the main system. We brought you here immediately but your vital signs were erratic - and still are - but I took a look at your files and found out what I could give you to make you more comfortable, and it seems to be working…"_

He opened his eyes feeling rather disoriented. The room was white and he was lying flat on a bed. A sheet covered him up to his waist and there was a blanket on top of it. The room seemed very warm, and he was thankful of it because the heat was easing the chills that had made him shiver so violently. A line had been fixed to the back of his hand and as he tried to sit up his body ached and he gave up on the idea.

"You have files on me?"

"Every earth colony keeps a basic medical record of the Doctor just in case he needs help one day."

"I never knew that. Where's Ace?" he murmured weakly.

"She's outside, she's been very worried about you. We ran a scan and took some blood samples and we have identified the cause of your sickness. I'll tell you more when you're fully awake."

The Doctor breathed a slow sigh and closed his eyes again as the ache in his head throbbed.

"Thank you," he whispered, and then the medication kicked in and he closed his eyes and drifted back into a sleep that gave welcome escape from pain.

* * *

Ace had been waiting for a long time. She had checked her watch and blinked away tears of fear and frustration as yet another hour had crawled by and still there had been no word from Carla or her medical team.

Then as she sat with her head in her hands looking down at the floor, she heard Dr Bailey say her name.

Ace looked up and Carla saw at once her eyes were red from crying.

"Is he okay? Do you know what's wrong with him, can you make him better?"

Her voice was filled with desperation as she got up and looked at her, silently pleading for a promise that she knew she could not give.

Carla hesitated as she gathered her thoughts. She was aware the Doctor had referred to Ace as his fiancée, but felt it would only be right to explain the full situation to the Doctor before his next of kin was informed…

"He's very sick," she said gently, "He's been poisoned with a manufactured toxin that contains many hostile elements - one we managed to identify as a manufactured compound that mimics the effects of unrefined spectrox. But as it's not spectrox, the antidote normally used would not be effective. There are many other toxins involved – it's almost like something I would expect to find in a chemical warfare laboratory. But we have been able to give him some medication to make him more comfortable, and while I was scanning him I noticed the toxin's progress seems to slow when in contact with a mild electrical pulse, so its very likely we can work something out to inhibit the progress of the condition."

Ace breathed a sigh of relief as she started to smile.

"That's great news! So you can cure him, then?"

She paused again, feeling awkward because she was yet to break the news to the Doctor.

"We can treat his condition," she replied, "If he's willing to undergo the surgery."

Ace stared at her as all trace of optimism vanished instantly.

"You want to operate?"

"He will need a series of external cybernetic implants to slow the progress of the toxin. And we need to do this quickly before he gets weaker. You can see him very soon, he's waking now but he's still drifting. I'll come back and let you know as soon as he is well enough to see you."

"Thanks…" Ace said quietly, then she sat in silence as Dr Bailey walked away, turning over all Carla had told her as she wondered if she had just been given any good news at all – it didn't sound like much of cure…

* * *

When Carla returned to the Doctor's room, he was fully awake.

"Where's Ace?" he asked again, and his face was still pale but he had stopped sweating and shivering now.

"She's coming to see you shortly," Carla replied, and then as she stood at his bedside and looked into his eyes she noticed how anxious he looked.

"Its not good news, is it," he said quietly, "You can tell me the worst – just do it quickly before Ace walks in."

"You were poisoned by a manufactured toxin," she told him, "One of the main components is a form of artificial spectrox. But it has much more to its composition. This is a poison that was created under laboratory conditions."

The Doctor moved cautiously, sitting up and then resting against his pillows.

"You think this was deliberate?"

"That you were targeted? Yes, I do. I'm aware that you have many enemies, and I have no clue to the culprit. But I do know the toxin seems to be attacking not only your nervous system but the specific make up of your Timelord composition – it seems to be designed to kill you and ensure you're left unable to regenerate."

He stared at her.

"Are you sure about this?"

"There is more," she told him, "The toxin is pushed away by mild electrical pulses. I'm hoping some implants might be effective – but by that, I mean, effective as in, buying you some more time. That is all I can do for you, apart from managing your pain._ There's no cure, Doctor. I'm sorry, but your condition is terminal._"

The shock of her words had hit him as he continued to stare at her in disbelief.

"There's no cure?"

She shook her head.

"The implants will buy you some time. I don't know how much, it could be days, a week or a few months. I've never seen this kind of toxin or its effects before. I wish I could give you a definite answer but I can't."

He gave up on the idea of resting and sat up, and the pain throbbed as he put his hand to the back of his neck and found the bite had been covered with a surgical dressing.

"The wound to your neck will not heal," she told him, "The toxin is preventing open wounds from closing. All we can do is keep it clean and change the dressing every day. I need to talk to you about surgery – you will need to have a series of external implants fitted, they will give off electrical currents that should slow the progression of the toxin. And we need to do this soon because you will get weaker every day without it. I know this is a terrible shock, but there's no time to waste, I'm trying to buy you time, it's all I can do."

"Does Ace know?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"I explained you were suffering the effects of a toxin but I'm not sure how much she understood."

"Did you tell her it's incurable?"

"No."

The Doctor looked up at her, the look in his eyes darkening as he spoke again.

_"Don't tell her."_

"That's up to you, but as she's your fiancée maybe you should think about telling her soon. You can't hide this forever."

"I'm not hiding it," he replied, "I'll tell her when the time is right – why do it now, while I still have time left?"

He sounded selfish, but Carla was not about to point that out so bluntly after he had received such bad news.

"She will need time to get used to it, just like you do," she told him.

The Doctor shook his head.

"Time," he said, "It's ironic…I have a time machine, I have the Tardis, I can go any where I want to go – but now my own time is running out…"

And then he frowned as he thought deeply about the source of the toxin.

"This was designed to kill me," he said in a hushed voice, "It was manufactured to kill a Timelord. There are not many species out there in the universe with the advanced skills to create such a weapon… they would need access to Timelord DNA…"

His mind was still working on it, but he was barely able to focus on his theories on the source of the blame as his thoughts turned back to Ace.

"I need to see her," he said, "I need to see Ace."

She saw a brief flicker of fear in his eyes and then it was gone. It was clear the news had been a shock, but the Doctor was determined to handle the situation his way – it was clear he had no intention of telling her the whole truth.

"I'll send her in," Carla replied, "And I'll be back later to talk to you about the implant surgery. I really want this to be carried out within the next twelve hours. We can't afford to wait."

The Doctor fell silent for a moment, and then he gave a sigh.

"Fine, I'll do it," he told her, "I'll trust you to slow the progress of the toxin."

And then he fixed her with a hardened gaze.

"But not a word to Ace. _Don't_ let her know it's incurable."

"As you wish," Carla replied, "I can't say I agree with your decision, but it's your life."

And then she turned away and left the room.

As soon as she had gone the determination that had kept him strong crumbled. He blinked away tears and took in a shaken breath. Just a short while ago he had told Ace how he would one day regenerate, living on long after her bones had turned to dust.

Now it seemed the tables had turned, and it would be Ace living on without him:

_He wasn't sure which scared him the most, dying with no hope of regeneration or the thought of Ace living on without him…_

* * *

The doctor had no more time to think about the situation, or about how to handle it as Ace walked into the room.

The worry he saw in her eyes made his hearts ache and he felt like apologising – even though he knew his illness was not his fault.

_But maybe it was._

_He had made enough enemies over the centuries, it should have come as no surprise that someone had figured out a way to kill him._

_Seeing the pain and fear in her eyes – her red eyes, eyes that had shed too many tears - brought home to him just how dangerous his life had been, and perhaps Ace was going to pay for that more than he would, grieving for him when he was gone, heartbroken forever – all because he had been selfish enough to love her…_

She pulled out a chair and sat down at his bedside. Then she looked at him and blinked away more tears.

"I've been so worried about you!" she said, and her voice trembled and he wanted to cry too, but instead he stayed true to his decision to tell her nothing and as she hugged him gently, he kissed her cheek.

As she let go of him he forced a smile.

"So what did Carla tell you? Did she explain that she could treat me?"

Ace frowned, and he knew at once she had taken in very little of what had been said, and to the Doctor that came as a huge relief.

"She said something about implants to stop the toxin?"

"That's right," he said, "She can give me some cybernetic implants that give off an electrical pulse to slow the progress of the toxin."

Ace smiled, and then she noticed how warm it was in his room and she took off her jacket, draping it over the back of her chair.

"And then we can go back the Tardis and be on our way?" she guessed.

He felt like he wanted to cry all over again.

"Not exactly…I'm going to be staying on board this ship - perhaps not all the way to earth, but I will need to stay here for a while."

Confusion clouded up in her eyes.

"But if the implants work, why can't we be on our way?"

She took hold of his hand, and again his twin hearts ached for her.

"Because I want to find out more about why the ships controls were manipulated," he said, "And I need to know what the Tardis can come up with about the toxin. If it can throw some light on the composition, maybe my input and Carla's database can come up with a permanent solution."

"But I thought the implants were the solution."

"I mean a solution that doesn't require implants," he told her, and then he smiled again as he gave her hand a squeeze.

"Don't worry so much, it's not the end of the world."

Ace blinked. His words had jogged her memory.

"What did you say, when you was working on the system control, about everyone being dead?"

_He recalled the visions that had flashed though his mind just before he collapsed. Pieces of a jigsaw were coming together, but he was too weak and tired to think too much about it, and he knew that when he did work it out, Ace wouldn't like the picture those fragments of memory would create…_

"I was just about to pass out," he replied, "I don't know what I was talking about. But at least there's a way forward now."

And then pain throbbed in the wound to his neck and shot down his spine.

He caught his breath, grabbing her hand so sharply her fingertips turned white.

"Sorry," he said quickly, letting go of her hand, "I'm feeling a bit sore. But I won't be for much longer, the implants will fix me."

Finally Ace was smiling again, and he felt a little better to see that.

"I can't wait till you're better," she said to him, "I just want everything back to normal."

"Me too," the Doctor replied warmly, hiding the ache in both his hearts as sure as he knew he was hiding the truth from the one person in the whole universe who knew he ought to be honest with. He thought about every time in the past Ace had accused him of holding back, of giving her less than total honesty. He knew his decision not to tell her the truth would eventually hurt her more than anything else he had ever held back, but it was too late for regrets:

_Suddenly life had become short, and he was determined that everything from now on would be done his way, because any other way would be too difficult to contemplate now he had made his choices…_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ace had talked with the Doctor until he grew weary and closed his eyes.

An hour later the Doctor began to shiver again.

He has said much in the time Ace had stayed at his bedside, promising everything would soon be back to normal, and then closing his eyes and murmuring that he needed to rest.

Ace swept her hand over his hair and spoken softly to him, reminding him he would soon be away from this place and back in the Tardis, that they would soon be leaving – but he had spoken whispered words she could not make out, and then fallen into a deep sleep.

As his breathing grew heavy and he tossed and turned as if caught in a nightmare, she felt a flicker of panic and hit the call button beside his bed.

_"Professor?"_ she said anxiously as she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a shake

But the Doctor did not respond, and as the shock hit her that he had slipped into unconsciousness, there was no more time to think or cry or panic, because Carla rushed into the room accompanied by two medics.

"I can't wake him!" Ace exclaimed, "He was okay, he was talking to me and then –"

"I was expecting this," Carla replied as she leaned over him and started to examine him, "The toxin is progressing rapidly. He needs the surgery now, we can't wait any longer."

Ace blinked away tears that blurred her vision as the medics prepared to wheel his bed from the room.

"You have to do it now? Is it dangerous, will he be okay?"

As she spoke she grasped the Doctor's hand, and was shocked at how cold it felt.

Carla briefly explained:

"We have to place external implants at key points along the spine and chest and one at the side of his head, all giving off electrical pulses to slow the progress of the toxin. He's very weak and that is why the procedure is dangerous. After the implants are activated, he will most certainly suffer a seizure, I'm hoping it will be mild. But after that, there are no guarantees – he could continue to have the seizures, or it could happen randomly and be much less severe than the first - if he recovers, this treatment will be effective. If not, he will die. I'm sorry, Ace, Everything that can be done to save him will be done."

Her hand was tugged from his grasp as the bed was shifted away from the wall and the staff began to remove him from the room.

Ace stood up and watched as he was taken away from her sight and far from the reach of her hand, and she blinked as tears ran down her face.

"I just want to be there for him, I can't leave him - the Professor will be all on his own –"

"He's in the best possible hands," she promised her, "We will do all we can for him. The Doctor has saved the earth many times over the centuries. Now it's time for us to try and save him. This is going to take a while, the implants have to be placed very carefully because the toxin is preventing wounds from healing, so infection is a big risk. He's very ill, Ace. I can only promise we will do our best for him."

Ace wanted to speak but tears choked off her voice as she nodded and blinked away more tears from her sore eyes.

"The surgery will take around six hours," she told her, "As soon as he's back in his room you can stay with him. I'm sure he will feel so much better for seeing you there when he wakes."

And then she walked out, leaving Ace standing alone in a room that seemed so empty now that the bed was gone, and so was the Professor…

* * *

_Ace waited._

At first she waited in his room, but the emptiness of the place only made the ache in her heart unbearable as she kept looking back at the space his bed had once occupied. She checked her watch and then she grabbed her jacket and put it back on and then walked out of the room, knowing she was stuck with the hardest task of all – waiting for the outcome.

Ace walked back down the corridor and out of the medical centre, turned a corner and found a lift. She remembered that this ship was vast and decided a little exploring could do no harm to kill the time…

She hit a button and the doors slid open and she stepped inside.

"Dining recreation or retail?" an electronic voice asked her.

The question had briefly shifted her thoughts from her worries for the Professor.

"Retail sounds great," she said, and the lift began to ascend.

As the lift continued to climb, she thought about her Professor and tears stung at her eyes again as she pictured him cold and shivering, deeply unconscious on the operating table as Dr Bailey started to fit the implants. She had no clue what cybernetic implants looked like, and she wasn't sure if her imagination was running away with her because she was afraid for him, but she kept imagining him lying there clinging to life while ugly metal was fixed to his flesh, she wondered if her lovers body would ever be the same again, would he still look like the Doctor after he had been through this procedure?

_Dr Bailey had said he would need several implants._

_She had also said he could suffer seizures because of them._

_Ace didn't like the sound of the one that would send small shocks into his brain._

She knew he was a Timelord and not made quite like the average human being, but that knowledge gave her little comfort.

She wondered if the implants would cause bleeding, because Carla said the wounds would not be able to heal.

Ace was on the brink of tears again.

_What kind of a poison stopped open wounds from healing?_

She felt as if her heart was wounded too, and like the Doctors own injuries, would never heal as long as he was in such pain…

Ace drew in a small breath and then wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her bomber jacket.

Those thoughts were still swirling around in her mind and she wanted to sink to the floor of the lift and sob like a frightened child.

It had never occurred to her that something like this could happen, and that her Professor could one day be so ill that he could even die before her…That had never seemed possible, because he was a Timelord, he could regenerate, he would live on forever…wouldn't he?

She thought again of the man she loved so weak and in such pain as she knew there was nothing she could do to help him. At that moment as the lift continued to rise, she felt a thousand light years away from him and her heart seemed torn in half and the pain cut so deep she wanted to double up with the agony of it.

Ace thought of the new closeness they had found, of the brief time they had shared together in a way she had once thought impossible, and she recalled every second of it. She remembered the softness of his kiss and wondered if she would ever know his kiss again, then as she recalled running her fingers through his soft dark hair she thought of the implant that would be fixed to his head and she wondered what it would look like, and if he would still have his soft dark hair when saw him again.

Ace put her hand to her mouth and stifled a sob as her eyes glazed with hot tears that almost blinded her.

Then the doors to the lift opened and she stepped out, pausing to wipe away her tears yet again with the sleeve of her jacket.

* * *

Ace found she was standing in a shopping mall, it was dimly lit with the area's lighting on half power.

The place was deserted, but this change of scene was enough to stop her tears as her curiosity took over.

She checked her watch again.

The Doctor had been in surgery for an hour.

There was plenty of time left to explore…

As she walked away from the lift, the doors closed and the sound echoed around the vast room.

Ace looked up and saw the shopping mall had three levels. The escalators had fallen still and would be easy to climb to reach the next floor. Here where she stood looked to be a food court, but all the shops had the shutters down.

She began to climb up to the first floor, thinking how much this place reminded her of earth, and happier times. Now it seemed all happier times were consigned to the past, because the future seemed so uncertain…

Ace reached the top and saw here a few stores were open, but for customers to use self-service machines only.

The bright lights after so much gloom pulled her like a magnet, and Ace walked past a clothing shop and into a large department store.

It felt ghostly with mannequins posing in the latest fashions across the other side of the vast interior and no staff about, but she smiled, thinking of earth, and happier times once more.

The Professor had taken her shopping many times on many worlds. He had given her a credit card too, but assured her there was a limit on it. When she had asked him what that limit was, he had simply said, it was set to that point just before the urge for needless spending set in…

She hadn't questioned it, she had thanked him and accepted it and so far it had worked everywhere they had travelled, and she had not gone on any crazy shopping sprees, either…

As she walked through the store she wondered what she ought to get, but her thoughts were only with the Doctor. She paused to place her hand on the fabric of a soft, warm blanket that was neatly folded on a shelf and she recalled how cold he was, then she took it off the shelf.

She walked through the women's clothing section and paused again, smiling as she held up some lacy black underwear. Then her smile faded and she cancelled that thought…the Professor would certainly be surprised to find she was wearing something so silky and sensual, but not right now, he was too ill for that kind of fun…

Ace turned to see a mannequin wearing a laced up corset. She looked at the garment for a moment and then she reached up and took it down from the display, remembering the Doctor had said the implant treatment would fix him…he was going to get better, he had told her that, so perhaps she could save this for better times…

She went up to the self-service check out, paid for the items and put them in a bag and walked out of the store.

Ace paused to look up at the third floor, seeing there were a few lights on up there too. But then she thought about the Doctor and thinking of him made her feel as if she was too far away once more, and she turned back, heading for the stairs that led to the ground floor.

And footsteps echoed across the polished floor, heavy footsteps that sounded close behind:

Someone else was on the first floor, and they were heading for the stairs…

Ace stopped walking and turned her head, giving a gasp as the shadowy figure of a man stepped back into the gloom swallowed by shadow.

She was torn between turning back to face her fear or simply running.

Ace did not believe in running away from a threat, her time with the Doctor fighting all kinds of enemies had taught her it was always better to find courage and make a stand. But her rucksack, along with her baseball bat and her nitro nine, was back on level two, in the Tardis. The only weapons she had at this moment were her fists, and she had no clue who or what was lurking just a short distance behind her.

_"Ace."_

Her eyes widened as she heard her name whispered and that whisper seemed to fill the hollow space around her.

She was halfway down the stationary escalator. She looked ahead and saw the lift on the next floor, just a short distance from the bottom of the steps.

She knew what she needed to do…

* * *

_Ace ran._

As she collided with something solid she staggered back, catching the rail of the escalator to steady herself as she looked sharply at the person who stood in front of her, who wore a dark uniform and had a laser pistol holstered at her side.

Then she saw the woman's badge stated K Travis, Security, and suddenly felt much safer.

"What are you doing down here?"

Ace drew in a breath and glanced up the stairway, but saw no sign of the man who had been watching her.

"I'm travelling with the Doctor - he's fallen ill, and Carla Bailey –"

"Ah yes, we know – you're the companion of the great Timelord," the woman said, and she smiled kindly, but there was a sad look about her eyes that told Ace the crew on this ship already knew about the Doctor's situation.

"News travels fast," Ace remarked.

The woman fixed pale blue eyes on her as she stood in the semi gloom with her tied back blonde hair looking golden beneath the dim lighting.

"We were informed that he is very unwell," she replied, "But Dr Bailey is an excellent surgeon. You must have faith in her, she will do all she can for him."

And then she frowned as she looked up the stairway to the top.

"Is everything all right? You seemed to be running from someone."

"I'm not sure," Ace replied, "I thought I saw someone on the first floor - a man. And someone said Ace, they whispered my name. I started to run and then I almost ran into you, and now I'm not sure what I saw. I'm very worried about the Doctor. Maybe I was imagining things."

"Well its spooky over here with everything on half power and half the place closed down," she replied, and then she smiled.

"I'll check it out, by the way I'm Karen Travis, head of security. Wait here, I'll go up and take a look."

Ace stood at the bottom of the steps feeling useless armed only with a carrier bag containing two very different gifts for the man she loved, and missing her trusty baseball bat.

Karen Travis pulled out the pistol and kept it in a firm grip and made her way quickly up the steps. Ace saw her walk away from the top of the stairway; she went left, then right, making a quick sweep of the area. Then she lowered the weapon and began to make her way down the steps once more.

"I saw nothing. But it's shadowy up there and you have a lot on your mind…I don't mean to offend you but it probably was your imagination."

She reached the bottom of the steps and put her gun away, looking at Ace sympathetically.

"You must be going through a lot right now. I know I would be if it was my friend who was so desperately ill."

Ace blinked but failed to hold back her tears.

"Carla said the implants are his only hope," she told her as her voice broke up, and then she stifled a sob.

_"And I'm not his friend, I'm much more than that – we've only just got together and I'm so scared I'm losing him!"_

Karen placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure you are, Ace. But you have to be strong for him. He relies on you far more than you know. Come with me, you look like you could use a cup of tea…"

* * *

Karen led her through the lower floor of the mall and came to a door and unlocked it.

"This is where I spend my time," she told her, from here I can see through every security camera on every level of the mall."

Ace stepped inside the small room and looked at the sea of monitors on the wall. They did show every angle of every level, and inside every open store, but there was no sign of an intruder.

Karen sat down at her desk and gestured to a chair on the other side of it, and as Ace sat down she opened a thermos flask and poured out some hot tea and handed it to her.

"I think you could also use some company," she said, "You're handling a lot of worry on your own, Ace."

She looked back at the security guard as surprise registered in her eyes.

"Well yes I am but what choice do I have? It's crazy, he's a Timelord, I'm just a human being with one life, I'm so much weaker than him, I can't regenerate or live for centuries…yet he's the one who's become so ill. I never thought something like this could happen to him."

Karen spoke gently as she replied.

"None of us expect the worst, we like to think we can keep those we love safe. He probably feels the same way about you. But these things can and do happen – what we do about it depends on how strong we can be, and I think you and the Doctor have a very strong bond, Ace. I think when he feels like breaking, _you_ will be the one to hold him together."

Ace was staring at her. She had never expected a stranger to make such a profound statement that meant so much to her.

"Thanks," she said quietly, "I want to help him. I don't know how I can do that, it seems like it's all out of my hands –"

_"It's not."_

Ace blinked.

"How would you know?"

"Just an observation I've made based on all I've learned in my thirty years alive," Karen replied, "People who are meant to be together, who have real love – nothing can break that."

Ace sipped her tea and then smiled.

"That's me and the Professor," she said, suddenly feeling more optimistic, "We belong together. We're so happy together." And then her smile faded, "That's why this is so unfair. We were friends for several years before we fell in love, it took time. Maybe too much time, now he could die, now there could be no time left. Dr Bailey said he's so weak he might not get through the surgery."

Karen leaned across the table and covered Ace's hand in a gentle, warm grip as she looked into her eyes.

_"Ace,"_ she said _"Do you really think that man, travelling the universe in his police box with his days like crazy paving, would find you, only to lose you again? He's lost out many times in the past as people came and went from his life but not you, Ace… You're the one. There's a reason for that. Think of this as a test. You need to be strong for him, until he can be strong for himself again."_

And then she let go of her hand.

Ace finished her tea and looked back at Karen with suspicion in her eyes.

"Are you _sure_ you're just a security guard?" she asked.

Karen smiled.

"I've been many things," she replied, "In my thirty years…I don't miss much. And I know you should be stronger even if you don't think you can be –it's all there inside you, but you have to find it. He needs you. And you will get him through this and you'll both come out of this even stronger than before. You just have to believe."

Her words had stirred up much emotion and it came as a surprise to Ace that where there had once been fear, now courage resided.

"I do," she said in a hushed voice, "I believe in the doctor, and in me and him and in all we have, nothing can break that."

Karen's eyes shone as she smiled.

"See? You _can_ be strong."

And then she checked her watch.

"It's almost the end of my shift. You'd better get back upstairs - you never know, it could have gone better than you think, he could be out of surgery soon."

Ace stood up and picked up her shopping bag.

"Thanks," she said, "What you said, it makes a lot of sense."

"I'm always down here in the morning," Karen replied, "If you want to chat, you know where to find me – just don't tell anyone else about me."

"Why?" Ace asked, pausing by the door to look back at her.

"Because I'm not supposed to let anyone in the security room," she replied, and then she smiled again.

"Get in that lift and go back to the hospital. I bet when you get there the Doctor will already be back in his room. And make sure you get some sleep - you look worn out. You'll wake up feeling so much better."

"Thanks," Ace said again, and then she left the room.

As the door closed behind her, Karen thought of Ace and the Doctor and all the things Ace was yet to know, and then as her eyes shone, they sparkled golden as the security guard looked back at the screens, scanning them for the intruder once more.

She caught sight of Ace stepping into the lift and smiled.

_"That's right,"_ she murmured, _"Off you go. Look after him, that's all he needs to get through this…"_

And while she spoke her eyes still glittered in shades of unearthly gold, as if made of eternity.

* * *

Ace stepped out of the lift and began to walk down the long, pale corridor that led towards the Doctor's room.

She still carried the words that had made so much sense to her at the time Karen had spoken them, but now she was getting closer to his door, fear began to run cold through her blood.

Dr Bailey had just turned a corner and was walking towards her.

Ace waited for her near the Doctor's room, afraid to walk in, afraid to do anything until she had spoken to her, because she feared the worst.

"Is he still in surgery? Is he doing okay?"

"The implants were much easier to fit than we expected," Carla told her, "We were able to get his treatment done quickly, he remained stable throughout the procedure. He's back in his room now – but he is very weak and we won't know if it's been successful until he wakes. That could take several hours, but you're welcome to stay with him, we've made him comfortable."

"Thanks."

Ace had barely been able to get the word out as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat, then she smiled through her tears.

"Thank you," she said again, and turned to the door and opened it and went inside, then closed it again behind her, wanting only to be with her Professor as she watched him rest, and clung to the hope that he would recover.

* * *

Ace sat down at the Doctor's bedside and as she looked at him, more tears sprang to her eyes, but this time out of sheer relief:

_He still looked like her Professor._

He was deeply unconscious but breathing slowly and evenly and there was no trace left of the chills that had caused him to shiver and sweat so violently before. A small silver disc had been set in the centre of his chest, and another at the side of his neck. She cautiously ran her fingers through his hair and found another implant, this one was square and larger than the others, but hidden beneath his dark hair and it was so slender and flat against his scalp she guessed he would have no problem putting his hat on despite the presence of the cybernetic device.

"Professor," she said quietly, "I know you can't hear me, but I want to say something to you: _I'm here for you, and I'm going to get you through this. You're going to be fine, because I'm going to make sure of it._"

He gave no reply as he slept on.

Ace checked her watch and wondered how many hours it had been since she had slept, and then she got out of the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, cautiously laying beside him, placing her head on the corner of one of the large pillows that supported him as he continued to sleep.

She paused to plant a gentle kiss in his hair, and then she smiled as she closed her eyes.

_"I'm with you, Professor,"_ she whispered, _"I'm staying with you forever…and you know what? It's all going to be okay…"_

And then as the worry and exhaustion took its toll, Ace fell asleep beside him, keeping a tight hold on his hand as she held on the hope that their love really was strong enough to stand up to anything, as she dreamed of happier times, in the hope those times would soon be back forever.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ace was comfortable, even though she was on the edge of his bed and sleeping out of pure exhaustion brought on by worry for the Doctor.

Her head was on his shoulder, it had slipped there as she slept on and she had briefly stirred, felt the rise and fall of his chest, and then remembered as long as he was breathing easily she could hold her deepest fears at bay, and then she had slid back into sleep, comforted by the scent of his skin and the warmth of his closeness.

Even as she slept, she knew he was weak and she knew his life was still in the balance.

_But in her dreams they had just stepped out of the Tardis and all around were green fields and a sky that seemed impossibly blue._

"It should be morning around now, on earth," the Doctor said, briefly pointing his question mark umbrella towards the horizon, "Birds singing in the trees, waking to a new dawn, tides rolling back and forth from the shores, the planet turning from darkness into light just as it does every morning. The sun will be shining and that world of yours will be waking to another day with no threat of alien invasion. I love your world, Ace."

And then he turned his head and smiled. She smiled back at him, thinking how much better he looked here, in this other world, this place in her dreams where the toxin couldn't ravage his body.

"I just want you to wake up and be well again," she said, "I don't want you to die, Professor. I'd be lost without you."

"There's a planet not too far from here," he said, looking back to the horizon, "It's called Sabra. It's uninhabited but it will be the next human colony planet after Eden Earth. But for now it's an unspoiled paradise, it would be prefect for me… it has natural warm springs that have healing properties. I'll take you there one day…"

She felt an ache in her heart as she shook her head.

"You can't go anywhere, Professor. You're too weak."

He stepped closer and looked into her eyes, and then as the gentle breeze blew he brushed her hair off her shoulder and then pulled her close.

"_We will go there one day,"_ he whispered, _"It can be our heaven. You and me…if you want to come with me."_

"I do want to," she told him, and he ran his hand over her hair as they stood together on the wide green space beneath an impossibly blue sky as Ace wished the dream was real.

"_We will go there,"_ he said again, and this time his voice seemed clearer, as if he was speaking right into her ear.

Ace opened her eyes.

She was still on the Professors' bed and her head was resting on his shoulder.

"_Did you hear me, Ace?"_ he asked her.

For a moment she didn't move, she stayed beside him with her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

"_I was saying,"_ he continued_, "About the planet Sabra. It's a beautiful place. I'm going to take you there one day, Ace."_

She raised her head from his shoulder and stared at him.

"Does that sound like a good idea?" he asked, "You and me, the only two people alone in paradise?" And then he smiled and playfully touched her nose.

"I've had enough of the ugly side of the universe," he added, "It's time I showed you its beauty instead. And I will, one day, when the time is right, when I'm out of this bed and back on my feet…that's what I'm aiming for, that's the plan."

Ace started to smile.

The Professor looked so much better and stronger now. He was still pale, but he was wide awake and felt warm and showed no sign of discomfort despite his ordeal.

"I had a dream we were on a beautiful planet," she said to him

"I was just telling you about a beautiful planet," he replied, "I was talking to you for a while but you didn't want to wake up. _I think you might have been dreaming. I hope it was about me_."

And then he smiled and gave her a wink.

Ace laughed as relief shone in her eyes and she put her arms around him and gently hugged him.

"I've been so worried about you!" Tears were glazing her eyes as she looked at him, knowing at once the surgery had been a success, because he was showing no trace of the weakness that had caused his collapse.

"You don't need to do that," he told her, "Carla did a good job – this ought to fix me for a while."

Her smile vanished.

"I thought it was a permanent cure?"

"I meant until I can find a _better _solution," he said quickly, covering up his mistake, "It's nothing to worry about."

And then he sat up and grabbed the needle buried in the back of his hand and quickly tugged it out.

"You shouldn't be doing that –"

"I know what I'm doing," he replied, rubbing at the back of his hand, "I'm strong enough to get up without falling down again. That's good enough. Get my clothes, I won't achieve anything sitting around in here."

Ace went over to a metal locker and opened it and took out the Doctor's suit and hat. As she handed him his clothing she frowned.

"I'm not sure you should be doing anything yet. You don't realise how ill you've been!"

He met her gaze, and gave her a look that seemed to go right through her.

"_Yes I do,"_ he replied in a low voice, _"I'm fully aware of my situation."_

And then he grabbed his clothes and started to get dressed.

* * *

As the door opened and Carla walked into the room she stared in disbelief at the Doctor, who was half dressed and reaching for his shirt.

"You can't get out of bed so soon!"

As he faced her and turned his back on Ace, she stared at the row of metallic discs that ran the length of his spine.

"Professor-"

He put his hand to the back of his neck, found the wound was still covered and that turning his head caused him mild pain once more.

"Keep out of this Ace."

"But Professor –"

_"I need to speak to Carla!"_

Ace was still staring, and he had no clue why, nor did he care as he looked back at Carla and briefly held on to his neck for a few more seconds as the pain vaguely throbbed, and then he let go.

"Yes, the implants have worked. Thanks for buying me this time and now I have to use it wisely! I've been doing a lot of thinking and I've come to the conclusion it was no coincidence your systems stopped failing around the time the Tardis came on board! I've been poisoned by a dangerous toxin and your ship happened to be nearby – in distress, and so I answered the call!"

Carla shook her head.

"I don't understand –you encountered the toxin on the colony planet –"

"And came straight there! I think who or what ever decided to poison me had your ship figured in the plans – we've _both _been set up, Dr Bailey."

Her dark eyes were filled with confusion.

"But why _my_ ship? I can understand you've no doubt got some enemies, Doctor – but I'm a top rated surgeon who runs a centre of excellence. You have no links to any rival companies who might want to grab the Eden Earth contract."

As he replied his voice darkened.

"Perhaps it's not a business rival. Perhaps this goes deeper. The cost to refit a vessel of this standard, to enable it to become permanently docked at the colony, must run into billions. Who paid for it?"

She hesitated.

"Myself and three other partners - and a passenger who needed urgent transport back to earth. He paid a substantial sum towards the refurb costs in return for the journey home and a ten percent stake in the company. It was lifesaving as far as business goes, Doctor, his money enabled me to book the refit and won me the contract."

The Doctor felt a slight chill as something wet trickled down his back, and he shivered.

"Professor –" Ace had spoken quietly, and he detected something in her voice that suggested something was wrong, but he continued to ignore her as he spoke to Carla.

_"Who is he?"_ he said darkly.

She thought for a moment, and then she shook her head again.

"I can't give out sensitive information, this is _not_ relevant at all…"

"_Oh yes it is!"_ he snapped, and the sharpness of his tone took her by surprise as she looked back at him with startled eyes.

"You think he's the one who poisoned you?" she exclaimed, "No Doctor, no…he's an archaeologist, he found some ancient cave paintings on a neighbouring planet and had them removed to take back to earth. He said the paintings are worth a vast fortune both financially and culturally."

"Who is he?" the Doctor asked again.

"Dr Morgan Vanrik, " she replied, "And he has nothing to do with the toxin!"

"You can't be certain."

The Doctor shivered again and pain vaguely registered on his face as he drew in a sharp breath.

"Something's wrong…"

Ace went over to a dispenser on the wall and ripped off a paper towel, and then she folded it and gently patted it against his back.

"I've been trying to tell you, but you didn't listen!" she said, and her voice sounded tense.

The Doctor turned around and she handed him the towel. It had been crisp and white, but was now stained scarlet.

"_You're bleeding,"_ she said in a hushed voice_, "It's coming from under the implants."_

Then he felt something run down through his hair and briefly touched the warm wetness and then saw blood on his fingertips.

He looked back at Carla as a trace of fear registered in his eyes.

"I have to spray the implants to artificially seal the wounds," Carla reminded him, _"Your body can't heal. It never will."_

The Doctor looked back at her and for a moment his urge to fight back against the poisoner was gone.

"I remember, you told me that before," he said quietly, "Sorry I forgot…I had so much on my mind…"

"Lie down, Doctor," she said to him, "This won't take long."

He met her gaze with a look of reluctance, and then complied with her request.

* * *

Ace joined Carla at his bedside.

The Doctor's shirt was still off and now he was face down with his head turned towards Ace, and she saw a frightened look was back in his eyes.

"It's a bit of a shock," he said, "Even though I was warned before…it's the thought that I'll never heal… I never knew there was a poison in existence that could do something like this…"

"Neither did I," replied Carla as she paused to put on latex gloves.

"It's okay, Professor," Ace said softly, "We can handle it."

And she looked to Carla, who had taken the top off a small silver spray can.

"This _is_ something we can handle, isn't it? I mean, something I can help the Professor with? He doesn't need to stay in hospital because of this, does he?"

"I'll apply the first dose and then you can do it for him next time he needs it. The sealant lasts around twelve hours, so he's going to need it applied twice a day."

Ace nodded.

"Just show me how it's done," she said.

"I'll start with the largest implant," Carla replied, "Hold still Doctor – and remember this contains sealant _and_ very powerful antibacterial agents to fight off infection, so it's going to burn when it's first applied. Just try and take some deep breaths, the pain won't last."

The Doctor closed his eyes as Carla parted his hair to expose the implant set at the side of his head.

"It has to be applied closely in a single short burst," she said to Ace, and as she applied it the spray coated the implant and the liquid turned white and ran over metal and on to flesh, fizzing as it reached beneath the implant to the open wound.

The Doctor gave a sharp cry of pain and then another, but sounded weaker the second time as pain throbbed.

"It's important to cover every implant," Carla said to Ace, "The biggest threat he faces may not be the implants failing, it could be infection, he's at huge risk of that. If the toxin overcomes the electrical pulse, it will advance and then fight against the antibacterial properties of the spray. If that worst case scenario happens, the Doctor will have to be placed in isolation to protect him from further infection."

She was still looking at the Doctor.

"Ace?" Carla said, "Did you hear what I just said to you?"

And Ace briefly glanced at her and nodded as her eyes grew glazed and she blinked to clear her misty vision. Pain was still registering on the Professor's face, he was shaking and a tear ran from his eye as the sealant continued to burn.

"I heard you…" Ace whispered, and then she stepped closer to the bed and took hold of the Doctors hand.

"It won't take long," she said quietly, "I'm here for you, Professor."

His eyes were still closed as sweat ran from his face, but the fever was gone, this was purely a reaction to the pain.

"I know that," he whispered, "I know you won't leave me, Ace…"

Then he tensed as Carla gently touched his back.

"I'm going to seal the rest of the implants with a single burst along the length of your spine," she told him.

"_Get it over with please."_ The Doctor's voice had trembled as he made his request.

As she activated the spray again, and Ace held on to his hand tightly as she wondered how she could face inflicting such pain on the one she loved, but at the same time she knew she had to follow Carla's instructions; the sealant was potentially life saving and protected him from infection - but even knowing that made the task no easier…

The Doctor was shaking and sweating as she helped Carla to turn him over, and then as he lay on his back he cried out again. Carla applied final bursts to the implant at the side of his neck and then to the one in the centre of his chest.

"Do you think you can handle this?" As she asked that question, she looked intently at Ace, who nodded slowly.

"I have to," she said quietly, and then as the Doctor took a deep breath, his shaking began to ease off as the pain caused by the sealant faded away.

"I'll get used to it," he said, "And you're right, it does fade quickly."

He made a move to sit up and the room lurched violently and Ace caught his shoulders and lowered him back against pillows.

"Don't get up you're not ready…" Ace cast an anxious glance to Carla.

"What's wrong with him now? I thought the treatment had worked!"

"It has," she promised her, "But the pain from the sealant was a massive shock to him – and he's still quite weak."

She glanced at the Doctor.

"I'm going to have some food brought in for you. After you've eaten I want you to rest for a while longer. I'm not letting you leave here until I know you're strong enough."

The doctor gave a frustrated sigh.

"Fine, I'll wait. But as soon as I'm able to leave I'm going back to the Tardis. I want to see what the analysis of the toxin comes up with. And when the sealant wears off I'm going to run a test on a sample of my own blood before Ace gives me a second dose of the stuff. I still think the Tardis can come up with a solution."

"Maybe I should go back to the Tardis now and see what it's come up with, Professor?"

He smiled kindly.

"Ace, you won't understand the information, it's complicated. I'll do it later when I'm out of bed."

She gave a sigh and he caught a look of frustration in her eyes, it was that now old and familiar look that reminded him not to treat her like a child.

"I wasn't patronising you," he said, and the remark had come as unexpected to Ace, who had _not _expected him to say something like that in front of Carla, "I'm well aware you're a grown woman, I've watched you get older and I'm not surprised the day eventually came when I fell in love with you. And you're intelligent and beautiful, amongst your other fine qualities – but you will _not _understand the results on the toxin because they will be displayed in Gallifreyan. "

Ace fell silent and nodded.

The Doctor sat up cautiously, and then smiled and as his eyes shone with familiar warmth, Ace smiled too – he had finally recovered from the pain of having the wounds sealed.

"I'll eat some lunch and then I'll rest for a while," he said to Carla, and he reached for his shirt and slipped it on easily now the pain was gone.

"That's great," Carla replied, "I'll tell the kitchen staff to have some food brought up to you."

She turned for the door.

_"Just a minute, Dr Bailey…"_

She turned back.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"I was just wondering…this guest of yours…Doctor Vanrik… is he staying here at the hospital?"

"No, in the staff quarters," she replied, "The main hotel is shut down like most of the ship, so he has to make do with standard accommodation."

The doctor smiled.

"So this archaeologist fellow has expensive taste, does he?"

"With his kind of money, I would imagine so – but he hasn't complained yet," she told him, "And he's a very private man. So don't go bothering him when you are well enough to get out of bed!"

The Doctor laughed, and then he took hold of Ace's hand and kissed it fondly and continued to hold on to it as he spoke again.

"I won't be going anywhere, Carla. My Ace is going to take _good _care of me."

"That's nice to know," she replied, and then she left the room.

* * *

As soon as Carla had left, Ace turned to the Doctor and smiled.

"That was such a sweet thing to say, of _course_ I'll take care of you, Professor!"

Then she noticed a devious gleam in his eyes.

"Actually I want you to take care of something _else _while I'm resting," he replied, "I want you to go back to the Tardis, pick up your rucksack – but leave _out _the nitro nine because explosions on a space vessel can prove lethal – you did think of that, didn't you?"

"I'm thinking of it now!"

"Good," the Doctor replied, "Because I don't want you to do anything remotely dangerous. But take your bat just in case. Then go over to the staff quarters and find out all you can about Morgan Vanrik."

She started to smile again.

"Sounds like a plan!"

"It is!" he said fondly, and then as she turned to leave he caught her hand and pulled her back.

"Come here."

"What for?" she asked.

He leaned in and kissed her.

"Be careful," he said softly as he let go of her hand.

"I will," she promised, and then she walked out of the room.

The Doctor rested against pillows once more as pain vaguely flickered through the wound at the back of his neck and he wondered how long the implants would last, and if he would find his killer before the poison got to him first – and there was still the matter of making a confession to Ace. That was still a thought that filled him with dread, when she found out the harsh reality of his situation…

His only hope of survival was finding the person who produced the toxin, they had developed a poison designed to kill a Timelord, and he hoped this also meant there would at least be evidence somewhere of its composition, that could perhaps be hiding clues to a formula that could serve as an antidote. The clock was ticking, and he knew his time could run out very soon - and still his hearts felt heavy as his thoughts once again turned to Ace:

He hoped she would still love him enough to forgive him when she learned the truth. He knew her well enough to work out that she would feel betrayed, and then he would have to suffer the added pain of seeing her cry for him when she learned that he was dying. He guessed it was no more than he deserved, to eventually have to face the music for hiding the truth...

"_I'm sorry Ace,"_ he said quietly, and then he closed his eyes and gave a weary sigh as he tried to rest and regain his strength, and all the while a vague pain flickered at the back of his neck, serving as a reminder that a real recovery from the toxin was highly unlikely to happen…

* * *

Ace had gone straight back to the Tardis, and after pausing to see writing in Gallifreyan, and then more scrolling data on the screen set in the console, she guessed the ship was still working on analysing the toxin.

She grabbed her rucksack and paused to take out the cans of nitro nine and leave them in her room.

Then she closed the door and went down the corridor to the next bedroom, where she opened the door to the Doctor's room and paused to stand there looking in:

_So much had happened since their visit to Eden Earth. _

She had looked forward leaving with him in the Tardis, to waking every day in his arms in this bed in his room, something she had thought of doing for such a very long time, but now all she could imagine was the Professor lying there in pain as she sealed up wounds that would never heal. He had been immortal in her eyes, and now the tables had turned it was hard to accept, to know that her Professor was not as invincible as she had imagined him to be…

But the implants had fixed his problem, at least until a better solution could be found, that was what he had said, and Ace clung to that hope:

_It wouldn't be easy, watching him deal with so much pain._

_If she was honest about it, the thought of watching him suffer like that would break her heart on a daily basis._

_But she would deal with it and help him to cope, and everything would be okay._

_At least he was going to live, he had assured her of that…_

Her heart suddenly ached sharply for him, and she ran into the room and grabbed at the fabric of a spare jacket he had left draped over the back of a chair. She crushed the fabric in her hands tightly as she brought it up to her face and inhaled the scent of him as tears filled her eyes. Then she let go and smoothed the creases out and straightened up the jacket and left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Ace left the Tardis and stepped out on to the metal walkway of Level Two.

The area was deserted as she made her way towards a lift. It was smaller than the one that had led up to the medical centre, she guessed these were the kind used by staff - and she hoped her assumption was right, because if it was, it could lead her straight to where she needed to go…

Ace pressed the call button and the doors slid open.

She got into the lift and heard no electronic voice speak as the doors slid shut once more.

She turned to a panel on the wall and smiled as she noticed labels beside each button, _Maintenance, Kitchens,_ _Staff Quarters, Cargo Hold_…then she hit the button and the lift began to descend.

She had no idea how many floors she had passed, but the lift glided smoothly and quickly before coming to a stop.

Then the doors opened and she stepped out into a dimly lit corridor.

Here the lights flickered and shadows danced.

Doors ran off the corridor left and right and the whole level seemed to be deserted.

She guessed most of the few staff that were on board for this journey to earth were working, there was certainly no sign of life down here at all.

As she walked slowly down the corridor, she began to try doors but they were all locked. She looked up as the lights flickered but saw no sign of security cameras down here, and guessed that perhaps a good old fashioned lock on the door was the usual precaution to keep rooms secure in the staff area.

Then the lights went out, someone walked on further up the corridor, and the lights flickered back on.

Ace drew in a slow breath wondering if she really had heard a sound somewhere up the end of the corridor, where the lights were now dead and the corridor was swallowed up by blackness.

She carried on walking, feeling thankful the Professor had advised her to go back for her baseball bat, because she had a feeling she might need it - because it seemed that perhaps she was _not_ alone down here after all…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ace paused in the semi-gloom, looking down into darkness.

The lights above flickered again, but stayed on this time and she walked a little farther down the corridor, getting closer to the shadowy end yet seeing nothing there but blackness.

"Hello?" she called out, and her own voice echoed back at her.

Suddenly she recalled what the Professor had said shortly before he had passed out after working on the ship's main system:

A ship of ghosts…

She was seized by the scary notion that perhaps the footsteps she had heard had been behind her, not ahead. She turned sharply, but the other end of the corridor was lit all the way by those flickering lights and she could see the lift doors were still closed and the passage way was deserted.

_Ace turned back, and he grabbed her._

She gave a yell and struggled, but the man who was much taller and stronger than her held her firmly in his grasp, as his fingers dug into her arms as he tried to stop her from lashing out.

"_Let go!"_ she shouted.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, "I mean you no harm!"

And Ace stopped struggling and looked up to see a young man with pale eyes and fair hair looking down at her with a bewildered expression on his face.

"I didn't mean to startle you!" he insisted.

She glared up at him.

"_You are two seconds away from a knee to the nuts that you will never forget!"_ she said sharply, _"Hands off!"_

He let go of her and stepped back, nervously brushing down his light brown jacket.

"I heard a noise so I came out here to see what was going on – it's usually very quiet, no one comes down to this level in working hours…I got worried… it's rather unnerving, staying on a big ship like this and seeing no one about…I'm Morgan Vanrik, a passenger… you're a passenger too? I didn't see you board with the others when we left the colony."

Ace breathed a relieved sigh.

"You're the archaeologist?"

He smiled.

"Yes, I am. And you are…?"

"My friends call me Ace," she replied, deciding to keep it brief, as she noticed he was smiling at her in a way that suggested he was _very _keen to get to know her better.

"Nice to meet you, Ace. Are you travelling alone like me?"

"No," she replied, "I'm with my partner. His name is the Doctor, he's a Timelord."

Morgan's eyes lit up excitedly.

"Really? You know the Doctor?"

She smiled as she recalled how she had been introduced to Carla Bailey.

"I'm his fiancée," she added.

Morgan's keenness slipped down a notch as he took in that information.

"Oh, I see… Congratulations! And it's nice to meet you. I'd very much like to meet the Doctor, he's quite a legend…Where is he?"

Sadness clouded her eyes.

"He's been very ill. Dr Bailey has been treating him and he seems to be getting better…" Ace paused, taking in a breath as she fought back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes again, "It's been a difficult time. But he's a fighter. He's going to keep fighting."

"I'm sorry to hear he's been so unwell," Morgan replied, "What brings you down here?"

"The Doctor," she told him, "He asked me to find you."

"Why?"

"He was curious about why you paid so much money to get back to earth so quickly – he's been poisoned, he doesn't know where to start looking for an answer."

His eyes widened.

"He thinks I had something to do with it?"

"I didn't say that!" Ace replied quickly, "Please don't be offended. Just tell me what I need to know, so I can give him an answer. At least then he'll know it's nothing to do with you."

Morgan opened up the door to a small room and stepped inside.

"Come in," he said, "I'll tell you all about my reasons for grabbing a place on this flight – I can assure you I'm guilty of nothing!"

* * *

Ace followed him into the room, and he left the door open and sat down on a couch in a small living room area. She noticed there was another door ajar, and from where she sat she could only make out that it led through to a small bedroom, and all she could glimpse was a neatly made bed and a suitcase on the floor.

Morgan placed two cups on the table and gestured to a steaming coffee pot.

"Would you like some?"

She shook her head.

"Just tell me why you paid so much to get a place on this flight. You must see it from the Doctor's point of view – it does seem odd."

He poured coffee into his own cup, added cream and then took a sip.

"I found some cave paintings on a neighbouring planet, one of the close neighbours of Eden Earth and possibly the next human colony. Finding these paintings was a huge achievement – proof there was humanoid life there many millions of years ago before the volcanoes blew. I carefully removed the paintings with specialist equipment, packed them up and as soon as I grabbed the place on this ship I had them locked away in the triple secure vault in the cargo hold. Culturally they are priceless – and financially worth a bigger fortune than you or I could ever imagine. That is why I was keen to run off with the prize, Ace. And I'm very sorry to hear about the Doctor. How bad is he?"

A look of sorrow was back in her eyes.

"He was infected by an unknown toxin…it came from a spider bite, a robotic spider. He thought at first it was just an allergy to some kind of cybernetic fluid inside the android, but then he started to get ill…Dr Bailey found out how serious it was and she's operated, she said the implants will send off small electric pulses that will hold back the progress of the toxin. But he's in so much pain. The poison's stopping his wounds from healing – he has to have them manually sealed with a spray and it hurts him…it's hard to watch him suffer like that…"

She drew in a breath as she blinked, determined to hold back her tears as her heart ached for the man she loved.

"He's such a good person," she said quietly, "He didn't deserve to know this kind of pain. Dr Bailey said the treatment could fail, that he might have to go into isolation because infection could kill him."

Morgan leaned over and briefly patted the back of her hand.

"It must be so difficult for you to watch the one you love suffer so greatly," he said kindly, and Ace looked down at the table as she nodded but avoided his gaze as she continued to fight back her tears.

And while her gaze was downward, Morgan smirked as a cruel gleam came to his eyes.

"_I don't know how you cope,"_ he said, _"Poor Ace…watching the Doctor go through such agony."_

She looked up again and his expression was replaced with one of deep sympathy and kindness.

"What's the long term outlook?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"I'm not sure. The Doctor said he's going to live, he promised me he can survive it, he said the implants are just until he can find a better treatment."

Morgan gave a sigh.

"It doesn't look good, Ace. If he's relying on these implants to hold back the toxin, how can he be certain the virus won't over come the electrical pulse? "

"We don't know," she replied, "Nothing is certain. All we can do is hope."

And then she managed to smile.

"But he's getting stronger. He's resting now and soon he can get out of bed and we can have a bit of normality back."

"But you don't know how long that will last?"

"No," she said in a hushed voice, "He keeps saying he's going to get better but every time something goes wrong, like after he had the implants…he seemed fine until he had the sealant to cover the wounds, and then he almost passed out! He's got to go through that pain twice a day, so much pain…"

"The Doctor must be a very brave man," Morgan replied, "I'm sure he can cope with it. And he's got you to look after him. But it must be difficult, all that pressure on you…"

And he looked at her.

Ace looked back at him, and suddenly her defences were rising although she wasn't quite sure why.

"_I can cope!"_ she exclaimed_, "I love him, I'll go through anything to help him, even if it means -"_

Her tearful voice had trailed off and again she looked down, her hair hanging in her face as she stifled a sob and wiped away tears.

Morgan was smirking again as merriment danced in his eyes.

"Even if it means watching him suffer and slowly getting worse, crying out in pain every day because the treatment is too much to bear?"

She looked up and he blinked, studying her with eyes now filled with convincing, but false, concern.

"I'm a very wealthy man," he said, "If the Doctor needs anything, perhaps I can help?"

She managed to smile as she shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, but there's nothing you can do. The Doctor told me this vessel is one of the best centres of medical excellence in the known universe – if he can't be helped here, nowhere else can do much for him."

"Well in that case, allow me to offer my services in any way that might be helpful," he said, "Anything at all…it's no trouble. I'd like to help if I can. Perhaps I could visit the Doctor and speak to him about the cargo? Perhaps that would convince him I'm nothing to do with this terrible plot to poison him."

"I'm not sure he's ready to see anyone," Ace told him, and then she wondered why she had spoken so defensively as she looked at the seemingly harmless Morgan Vanrik.

"Well, send him my regards and I'm sure when he's feeling stronger our paths will cross," he replied, "And I really do wish him all the best."

Ace rose from her seat.

"Thanks for taking the time to explain. I know he will feel better to have some answers, even if it's not what he was hoping to hear."

Morgan also stood up.

"Remember Ace, " he added, "I'm always here to help."

And he smiled, but she did not.

"Bye," Ace said quietly and then she left the room and went back out into the corridor.

She took several steps out of the gloom and back into the lit part of the passage and found the lights had stopped flickering. The walk to the lift was an easy one, but she kept looking back over her shoulder towards the darkness at the end of the passage where the door lie to Morgan Vanrik's room, although she wasn't quite sure why she was doing that, because he had seemed okay, yet she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was _something_ about him, beneath the surface, something that she couldn't trust, although she couldn't imagine what it could be…

* * *

The Doctor had finished lunch and then sat back on the bed, on top of the covers.

He was fully dressed now – something he hoped would serve as a heavy hint to Carla that he was keen to leave. He had slept for a short while and then woken as the door to his room opened.

He sat up, moving the pillows to support his head because the back of his neck still ached, and as Carla walked into the room, he gave a sigh, wishing Ace was back already.

"You're looking much brighter," Carla said to him.

He smiled.

"I'm feeling much stronger, thank you. _And_ I'm ready to leave."

She stood at the side of his bed and looked at him doubtfully.

"You do know the implants are a temporary measure? "

"Of coursed I do," he said, all optimism fading from his voice, "I know the score, Dr Bailey."

"Have you told Ace yet?"

His neck was painful but all the same he turned his head and looked up at her as anger flickered in his eyes.

"What I choose to tell Ace is _my_ business!"

"I'm sorry, I was only trying to make things easier for you."

She sounded genuinely hurt.

The anger that had flared up so quickly vanished from his eyes as he looked at the dark haired woman whose tight clothing clung to her body in all the right places. If he had not fallen in love with Ace, he was certain it would have been only too easy to fall for Carla Bailey…

"You can't," he replied, "It's my life, my choices. I don't want to break her heart until I have to. She believes I'm going to recover. _And maybe I do too, as long as I don't say the truth out loud._"

Carla sat on the edge of his bed and looked into his eyes.

"Doctor, you need to think about this. I know it must be terrifying to know you have a terminal condition, you probably think you have nothing to look forward to – but you do, you still have time and that time is precious. If you told her now she would have time to get used to the idea."

"She could never get used to losing me," he said sadly, "Not in a thousand years…"

"But you need to make plans. You need to talk about this, what happens when your condition deteriorates and Ace has to make all the choices for you? How will she be able to care for you while she's getting over the shock of finding out the truth at the last minute? You're not being fair on her!"

He drew in a slow breath.

"I'm handling this day by day, Carla. It's all I can do."

She placed her hand over his. The Doctor's gaze shifted to her hand, but he made no attempt to draw away from her as he met her gaze once more.

"I'm a Timelord. I'm currently in my seventh incarnation. I have _many _more regenerations ahead of me – or I should have, but this toxin is even denying me the ability to regenerate! I didn't think I'd have to face the end for many lifetimes…not now…it's too soon, I still have so much to do."

Then he fell silent and his gaze once again shifted to her hand placed so gently over his own. He thought about an explosion deep in space, when this vessel would burn up brilliant white against blackness peppered with stars.

_Yes, it seemed he was not the only one who was facing the end…_

The pieces were coming together now.

"What would you do if your time was running out?" he asked her.

Carla looked back at him in surprise.

"I've never thought about it."

"_So think about it now, I want to know your answer."_

She thought for a moment, and as she met his gaze once more he sensed she was holding back.

"Let me see," he said softly, and he reached up and placed his fingertips at her temples.

Carla shivered as she felt the Timelord's energy flowing through her mind, opening up a door that she had briefly locked after a thought had sped through her, it had been one that she did not care to share with him.

But it was too late now, he knew.

She was sure of it as he took his hands away from her and looked back at her, this time with warmth sparkling in his eyes.

"Is that all?" he asked softly, "If this ship was seconds from self destruct, you would want that? _Only _that?"

She felt caught by him; the man had seen inside her mind and she knew lying would be pointless.

"You said if I was about to die. I took it as literally, an accident in space, seconds to go… I'm sure I'd come up with a different idea if I was back on earth and had longer to get my affairs in order. Then I'd have a list of things I'd want to do."

"But with seconds to spare, in the scenario you just pictured," the Doctor said softly, "That is _all_ you would want?"

She nodded.

"_If we were seconds from death, here and now, yes."_

"This means nothing to me," he stated, "Because I love Ace."

And then he leaned closer, placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and pulled her closer.

As their lips touched she stiffened, unused to being kissed so unexpectedly. At first their lips touched cautiously, and then as his kiss deepened she responded, but he pulled back and let go of her.

"It was just a kiss," he reminded her, "Because if this ship was about to self destruct, you would think of me and want this. Now you have it. _Keep the memory, you'll not get another._"

Her face was flushed as she smiled nervously at him.

In that moment the Doctor had the measure of her; while it was true she was a highly respected and accomplished doctor and business woman, she had clearly sacrificed other areas of her life to get there. She had little experience of love or sex and she was blushing like a schoolgirl after a first kiss.

"I wasn't expecting you to do that," she said, and smiled.

The Doctor switched on to another subject, smiling back at her in his usual friendly way, as if the moment had never happened.

"So, do I get to be released today, Doctor Bailey?"

"As long as you stay close by in case of a relapse. I have to monitor you closely. But yes, you can go back to the Tardis – but _don't_ leave the ship without letting me know first. You need to stay close all the way back to earth, and then I need you to have some on going treatment when we get there. You will need to be monitored indefinitely. And we still haven't cleared up the matter of when you're going to tell Ace. Doctor, those implants could fail tomorrow, there are no guarantees. You need to make some decisions _now_."

"Like what?" he demanded, "I can't think of anything that can't wait a while longer!"

She drew in a slow breath and decided to spell out the facts – the Doctor was clearly against the idea of telling Ace anything close to the truth, and he needed to understand why he was making the wrong choice. She knew he wouldn't like what she was about to say, but she looked him in the eye and said it anyway:

"These implants could fail today, tomorrow – any time. There are a long list of complications you also risk with your condition – if the electrical pulse that links to your brain is disrupted by the toxin advancing, you could suffer serious seizures. You had a mild one when you were in surgery as the implant was activated, but that was to be expected initially. But if you start to have more, it means the toxin has overcome the electrical pulse and advanced on it. That would mean you having the implant removed as an emergency procedure – we would have to take out all the implants, because the toxin would have proved too powerful. And surgery like that does not involve carefully deactivating each device and slowly disconnecting it, I would have to take up a scalpel to remove them - and that would mean you were left with more open wounds that needed sealing on a daily basis indefinitely. That would of course add to the already significant risk posed to you by infection."

"Don't you have any good news?" he asked sadly.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "Your condition is terminal; you cannot ultimately survive what the toxin will do to your body. You're going to die, Doctor. You need to think about how you want your last days to be. Will you want to stay here or go back to the Tardis, or leave and go somewhere else? I can package up some medication to control your pain relief and tell Ace how to administer it. But she's going to have to know the truth first."

She looked deeply into his eyes.

_"Please tell her, Doctor. Don't leave it too late."_

Sorrow filled his eyes as he spoke again.

"I'll find the right moment, I _will_ tell her soon."

"Sooner the better," she replied, "And I have one last thing to do before you get out of here."

And then she moved a trolley closer to the bed and he took a look at the contents and gave a groan.

"Not my neck…"

"I have to change the dressing. And you will have to have the sealant applied because it's an open wound."

The Doctor recalled the pain he had suffered when the spray had been applied to the implants, and as he thought about the sore, swollen bite at the back of his neck, he knew the pain would be much worse when the spray hit the damaged flesh.

But he forced a smile as he looked at Carla.

"You just want me to take my shirt off again…"

She smiled too.

"You caught me out," she joked, "Anything to get my hands on you..."

* * *

The Doctor unbuttoned his shirt quickly and slipped it off.

"We shouldn't flirt, even as a joke, because I love Ace," he reminded her.

"I know that, I'm well aware you love her," she replied, smiling as she put on latex gloves.

But then as she leaned forward and inspected the wound, her expression changed.

"Doctor, I'm sorry to tell you this but the bite mark is getting worse. It looks as if the toxin is trying to burrow through tissue. If it goes any deeper the toxin will invade the spinal cord and travel up to the brain."

As he sat there leaning forward as she gently examined the wound, his twin hearts began to race in fear.

"That doesn't sound good."

"I'm going to remove a piece of tissue from inside the wound," she told him, "It will mean a bigger open wound but at least if I can remove some of the invading toxin and then seal it, you stand a chance."

His eyes widened as he looked at Carla.

"Are you saying I'm getting worse already?"

"I don't know," she told him, "I just know this tissue has to come out. Lie down and hold still, I can do the procedure right now."

"I promised Ace I'd be up soon!" he complained, "Can't this wait?"

"No," she told him, "It can't wait. If this advances, it could kill you."

She hit a call button on the wall.

The Doctor's hearts were still pounding in fear as he thought of Ace and how he had already broken his promise, because now it seemed he would be going nowhere for a while. Then he wondered exactly how he could find the words to tell her the truth about his condition. Those words would still not come, even in his head as the medics worked around his bedside to prepare him for surgery.

"You won't be under long," Carla promised him, "It's light anesthesia. After you've rested, you'll be able to leave with Ace."

She was about to lower a mask to cover his nose and mouth and fill him with anesthetic. He caught her hand and held her back long enough to whisper something:

"_Tell Ace."_

"You want me to tell her everything?"

"_No,"_ he said, blinking back tears, _"Just tell her I love her."_

"Of course I will," she promised him, and then the Doctor inhaled as gas seeped into the mask, and the world faded away to blackness.

* * *

Ace had left the staff quarters feeling strangely uncomfortable about the seemingly friendly Morgan Vanrik. It bothered her that there was something about the man that made her feel uneasy, yet she could not work out what it was. Still wondering why the man gave her the creeps like he did, she took the other lift and went straight over to Retail, where she got out at the ground floor and walked through the closed food court towards the door that bore a sign that said _Security._

As she knocked, she wasn't quite sure why she had come back here, to pour out her troubles to a stranger, not when the Professor was in the medical centre and resting after going through so much pain.

But when the door opened and she saw Karen standing there, all she knew for certain was she could definitely trust this woman, she had no need to hide her emotions, and she listened to that instinct as she gave a sob.

"_This is so hard for me,"_ she said tearfully, _"He's got wounds that won't heal, open wounds! And the spray hurts him so much…it burns, it kills me to see him hurting like that!"_

And she gave another sob and Karen put her arms around her as Ace wept against her shoulder.

"I know," Karen said kindly as she comforted her, "And none of this will be easy. But you'll get through, you really will…"

"But what if I can't handle it?" Ace said tearfully.

"You will, you're stronger than you know, " she replied, and then she led her into the office and closed the door, where she knew tea and sympathy and a listening ear were all that Ace needed in order to face a difficult situation that would soon become worse…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"So tell me what brought you back down here."

Ace blew on her hot tea and sipped it.

"The Professor thinks who ever poisoned him is on board this ship. He asked me to check out this archaeologist bloke…he seemed normal enough to me. But there was something about him that seemed a bit…I dunno, _creepy?_ "

Karen smiled.

"Lots of people come across as a bit odd for many different reasons – we can't label them would-be murderers because of it!"

"I know that, but he just seemed…fake?"

"Perhaps he is. Or not. Who knows? Maybe you should keep away from him, just in case he is involved. I'm sure when the Doctor's feeling stronger and he investigates, the truth will come out. But it might be better _not_ to throw accusations around just yet. This toxin, you said it was destroying his ability to regenerate?"

Ace frowned. She had been so distraught on their last meeting that she couldn't recall what she had said about the toxin….

"I think I said that, yes, it's attacking his Timelord DNA."

She arched an eyebrow.

"Then surely it would have been designed in a lab. In order to make a weapon like that, the person who created it must have extensive knowledge of such things – and would need access to Timelord blood in order to develop it."

Ace stared at her.

"You think someone from Gallifrey did this?"

Karen looked at her intently.

_"What's the Master up to these days?"_

Her jaw briefly dropped as she looked back at the security guard.

"How could you know about him?"

Karen answered the question without hesitation.

"He's well known to Earth security forces, listed A1 on their most wanted intergalactic terrorist list. It's public knowledge. I was just wondering if the Master had something to do with it."

_The Master_ was a name Ace had not heard for a long time, bringing back dark memories of Perivale and how the place had been stalked by a large black cat that took her friends one by one as they were drawn into the pull of the Cheetah Planet. She knew she would have been lost to its influence too, had the Doctor not persuaded her to turn away from the urge to fight…

"He tried to make the Doctor fight him. But he refused. He left him to die on the Cheetah Planet."

"And knowing the Master he doubtless had some kind of plan to get out."

Ace shook her head.

"The planet was breaking up. He's dead. He _is_ dead."

And then she fell silent for a moment, turning over many thoughts as she considered Karen's theory.

"But I suppose if he did get off that planet, he would have been affected by its power, changed…"

"And he would have needed to combat that change…perhaps using chemistry? If he could flush that from his system who says he can't develop a toxin capable of killing the Doctor?"

Ace stared at her again.

_"You're not a security guard, are you?"_

Karen smiled.

"I've been many things, Ace. Here, I'm a security guard and I'm just making some observations."

Ace was still looking at her.

"_I want you to meet the Doctor."_

"I will," she agreed, "But not right now."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm on duty. Now maybe you should go back to the Doctor before he starts to worry."

Ace got up.

"You're right… I've been gone for ages! I don't want him to worry about anything, I just want –"

"_To keep him safe?"_ Karen smiled.

"Yes," Ace replied, feeling as if the woman may as well have read her mind, "Yes, I need to do that. So I'll see you soon, then?"

"I'll be around," Karen promised, "Now you had better get back to your Professor. He needs you."

Now Ace could only think of the Doctor and how long she had been away.

"I'd better go," she said, and then she left the room, quickening her pace as she made her way through the closed food court and back to the lift.

* * *

The Doctor was having a nightmare:

_The Tardis was on fire._

_They had crash-landed and flames licked across the console, blackening controls as the heat made the metal walls start to buckle and glass roundels blew out. Smoke filled the air and he coughed and turned around, looking down the long winding Tardis corridor as he called her name, but heard no reply._

_The heat was stifling and as the flames grew nearer, the Doctor stumbled on through the smoke, going deeper into the ship, still calling her name: _

"_ACE!"_

_A cold fear swept though him along with the thought that she was already dead, that he would never see her again. He looked back to see flames had covered the exit, he was too deep into the vast interior of the ship to find his way back out now, but at least he would find Ace, at least he would die clinging to her, he would not be alone._

_He didn't want to die alone…_

That thought woke him with a jolt and he snapped his eyes open.

"_Ace!"_ he called weakly, and tried to sit up but his body felt too heavy to comply.

Then he recognized Dr Carla Bailey, who was at his bedside. She had placed her hands gently on his shoulders to keep him still as she looked down at him.

"It was just a bad dream. You've had surgery to remove some infected tissue from the bite wound. Do you remember?"

He blinked and slowly focused on Carla's face, recalling how he had been set to leave - until she had found the infection. Then he felt a mix of relief and fear; he had not been trapped in a burning Tardis searching for Ace, that had been no more than a nightmare. But recalling the reality of his situation made him feel as if he had simply swapped one bad dream for another…

Tears filled his eyes as he weakly spoke again.

_"I want Ace…"_

"And you will see her very soon, Doctor. Try and take some deep breaths and stay calm, you need to rest."

He looked up at Carla as fear remained in his eyes.

"Why do I feel so weak? I thought it was minor surgery…"

"It was supposed to be," she told him, "But when I opened up the wound I found the toxin had gone much deeper than I first thought. I had to remove some tissue and use a laser to burn out the worst of it. I'm sorry, I couldn't go any deeper because it would have been too risky. For now the implants are holding the toxin at bay, but only by a fraction. Obviously this means the implants will not work for much longer. You will feel stronger soon, but it won't last. I can't say how long you have left, Doctor. I'm truly sorry, I'm trying everything I know to save you and I'm sorry it's not enough."

He was not caught between waking and sleeping now, and had understood every word she had said.

"I'm sorry," she said again, and took hold of his hand.

The Doctor dragged in a sharp breath and gave a sob, and as he quietly wept, Carla ran a gentle hand over his hair and then wiped his tears away.

"You will feel much stronger in the next hour," she told him, "I can help with any pain you may be experiencing, but there's nothing else I can do. Please make the most of the time you have left. And tell Ace. Tell her the truth."

The Doctor drew in a couple of deep breaths and blinked away the last of his tears.

"I'm not in pain," he said quietly.

"That's because I gave you a shot just before you woke up," she replied, "The wound has been sealed and covered with a dressing and you should remain pain free for around eight hours. I've got some pills you can take, it will wipe out the discomfort when it starts to return."

"What happens when the implants fail?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"When the toxin overcomes the signal, I'll have to remove the implants. Then you will be moved to isolation –"

"No," he said, looking into her eyes as he spoke with final determination, "I want to be with Ace. I want to leave in the Tardis with Ace. I'll find a quiet planet where I can stay until the end, it's my life and if it's ending I demand to choose the place to die – and it's going to be on a peaceful world, and in her arms."

Then he wondered why Carla was blinking away tears.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and let go again.

"If that is your wish, I wont stand in your way."

Then she leaned over him and kissed his cheek, another gesture he had not expected.

"I wanted to save you," she said, "I still do."

He managed a smile, purely because he hated seeing her so upset.

"Thank you for trying," he told her, "You did your best."

She stepped back from his bed.

"I'm sure she won't be long. She's probably gone for a walk to kill some time…she doesn't know you've had more surgery yet."

_"What's happened?"_

They both tuned to see Ace standing in the doorway. She looked utterly devastated to see the Doctor back in bed and looking so pale and weak.

"What's happened?" she demanded, glaring at Carla,"What have you done to him, you said he was well enough to leave –"

_"Ace!"_

The Doctor had summoned enough strength to raise his voice, and now he looked weary for it.

"The bite wound was badly infected. She had to remove some tissue. You should be _thanking _her, _not_ yelling at her!"

Confusion briefly clouded her eyes, and then Ace went over to the Doctor's bed and looked at him sadly.

"So you're okay now?"

She had sounded as if she was pleading for him to agree.

"_Tell her,"_ Carla said quietly.

Ace turned sharply to her.

"Tell me what?"

The Doctor shot Carla an angry look that seemed to contradict his weakened state, then he took hold of Ace's hand and she looked back at him.

"What's happening, Professor?"

She sounded scared.

That decided it for him; he would _not _tell her everything yet…

"Dr Bailey just wants to be sure you understand the seriousness of my condition. The implants are holding the toxin at bay, but only just. I'll be feeling stronger soon. Then I'm going back to the Tardis to see what the computer can come up with. I still haven't given up on the analysis turning up something Carla's technology may not be able to spot."

"But you're going to be okay, I mean, you're not going to -"

"Die?" The Doctor forced a smile.

"Of course not, Ace. You worry too much!"

Carla gave a sigh as she shook her head.

"You can leave the hospital as soon as you feel well enough. But don't leave the ship without telling me first, you may need to take some pain meds with you."

Then she left the room quickly.

* * *

As Carla walked out, Ace turned back to the Doctor.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's just frustrated that she can't eradicate the toxin from my system. I'm not surprised; it's _got_ to be alien manufacture – very hard to destroy. _A bit like me_."

And he smiled again, and so did Ace.

The Doctor then settled back comfortably against his pillows and looked fondly at her.

"So did you find the archaeologist?"

Ace nodded.

"He seemed okay – a nice bloke. He told me he grabbed this flight because he found some valuable cave paintings to take back to earth. But there's something about him. I don't know what it is, he seems innocent enough but I just don't feel comfortable around him."

The Doctor looked at her intently.

"That's something worth considering, your instinct could be right."

"But I don't think he's got anything to do with the toxin – he was shocked when I told him what happened to you."

"He asked about me?"

"You're the Doctor, he's from earth. Why _shouldn't _he have heard of you?"

Ace had made a valid point.

"I'll make up my mind when I meet him," he told her, and he cautiously sat up.

Ace looked worried until he smiled, and one look in his eyes told her he was already regaining his strength.

"I'm getting dressed now," he told her, "It's time I got up."

"And there was something else – I was talking to Karen –"

"Karen?"

"She's a security guard, she had a theory –"

The Doctor was too busy struggling quickly into his clothes to listen.

"Tell me later. I've got other things on my mind. I want to get out of here before something else goes wrong and I'm stuck in bed doing nothing for another day! Where's my shirt?"

Ace was smiling as she handed him his shirt, and she carried on smiling as he started to get dressed, noticing he was definitely showing no more sign of weakness now.

"I need to go and speak to Carla Bailey," he said, "And I want you to go back to the Tardis and wait for me there."

Ace looked at him in surprise. The Doctor was showing much more energy now he was slipping into his shoes and zipping up his trousers and grabbing for his shirt.

"What's the rush?"

"No rush," he replied, and then he looked down at his shirt, realised the buttons were in the wrong holes and laughed, opened the shirt and carefully closed the buttons again, and then he grabbed his question mark jumper.

"You seem in a hurry. Why do I have to meet you back at the Tardis?"

He put on the jumper and smiled.

"You'll see!" he told her brightly, "Just go there and wait for me."

"Sounds mysterious," Ace replied, but she smiled again as she saw a sparkle coming back to his eyes once more.

"Just do it, Ace. I'll explain later."

Ace cast a curious glance back at the Doctor, and then walked over to the open door way.

"See you back at the Tardis," she told him, and then she left the room.

The Doctor slipped on his jacket and straightened his tie, then turned back to the bed and snatched up his hat and umbrella.

He paused for a moment as he put on his hat, and he thought about the decision he had just made as he had been lying in bed coming to terms with bad news. His mind was made up now, he knew what he wanted to do and he was going to do it, and although he was yet to tell Ace the whole truth, he knew Carla was right about one thing:

He had to make the most of the time he had left, and that was _exactly_ what he intended to do…

* * *

Carla Bailey was not difficult to find.

Her office was a short walk down the hall from his room, and as he knocked on the open door she looked up from a computer screen and surprise registered in her eyes.

"Doctor?" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't wait to get back to the Tardis…"

And she got up from her desk and walked over to him, and he tried not to think about that kiss they had shared or the way her dark clothing clung to her curves as she moved. He liked her, he was also grateful to her for the determined fight she had put up to try and save his life. His feelings for her did not diminish the love he felt for Ace, but he knew what he thought about Carla was definitely something private that needed to remain unsaid, for the sake of all he held dear, especially now, when time was so short…

"I'm going to study what the Tardis can make of the toxin," he told her, "And I'll have the results translated into English so you can take a look at it too. I haven't given up."

She started to smile.

"_Neither have I."_

The Doctor looked at her intently.

"Don't make me false promises, I already know the situation inside out and it's no better from any angle I look at it!"

"There may be another option," she told him, " I was just looking into it…The antibacterial agents in the sealant spray are proving effective at sealing your wounds."

"For twelve hours," the Doctor reminded her, but his pessimistic tone did not dampen her mood.

"So if I could come up with a much stronger cocktail of chemicals to destroy the toxin, or at least diminish it significantly, you could stand a greater chance of survival, perhaps its not a cure but it could certainly extend your life significantly if it proves effective. I've been running through a list of possible drugs and it's looking like a viable possibility."

The Doctor looked at her doubtfully.

"You want to pump me full of toxins to destroy a toxin?"

"It's a chance."

"I need to think about it," he said, "I'm guessing it's going to be debilitating. If it doesn't work I could spend my last days in pain when I could be enjoying them with Ace instead."

"Just think about it as an option. And talk to Ace! She needs to know."

He looked away for a moment, but when he looked back at her no trace of anger showed in his eyes.

"That's up to me. It's _all_ up to me."

"And I hope you make the choice that's right for you," she said kindly, "If there's still a chance you should grab it while you can."

"Let's wait until I find out what the Tardis makes of it the toxin," he said to her, "Then I'll think about what happens next. And I didn't come here to talk to you about this, I wanted to ask something else."

"I'm listening," she replied.

_And the Doctor explained his plans._

She listened, and then she nodded.

"Of course, if that's what you want, I can arrange it."

"I was thinking about today," he added, "I'm not wasting time, I can't afford to."

"Fine," she said to him, "And I take it you _will_ be telling her the truth before anything else happens?"

The Doctor glanced at her and then looked away.

"Of course I will, " he replied quietly, "And it's nothing to do with you, that's between me and Ace."

"Well I'll make arrangements," she told him, "And I'll give it a couple of hours – hardly enough time really, but you'll need to explain everything, won't you?"

The look in her eyes was questioning.

The Doctor forced a smile.

"I'm going to talk to Ace," he replied, "I'm doing it as soon as I get back to the Tardis."

* * *

Ace was already in the Tardis, she had gone straight to her room and left her rucksack on her bed before taking off her coat and then the rest of her clothes and standing under a hot shower, where she stayed for a while, wishing she could wash away her problems as easily as the hot water ran over her body.

When she got out she dried herself and then opened up her wardrobe and run a hand over the rail of clothing, deciding after all he had been through the Professor deserved to see her in something that would catch his eye and perhaps make him feel a little better.

Then Ace's gaze fell on a pale yellow dress that she had never seen before. It was made of silk and shimmered in the light as she took it off the hanger and looked at it. She went over to a full length mirror and held it up against herself, feeling surprised that it suited her so well – the sleeves were long and the skirt came just below her knees, the cleavage swept low, but not too low, and was embroidered with gold thread. She had found new items appearing in her wardrobe before – gifts from the Tardis – but never anything as pretty as this. Ace was not the kind of girl to go for delicate, overly feminine clothing, but this dress was just right.

"Thanks," she said, and she heard a vague hum in the background, as if the Tardis had known she would say that on finding it.

She looked down and smiled at the sight of a pair of matching shoes with low heels. She picked them up, went over to the bed and placed the shoes on the covers next to the dress while she paused to put on underwear, and then she slipped on the dress and the shoes and went over to the mirror, and she smiled again.

"This is a nice surprise, " she said, "The Doctor will love it!"

And then she heard a door close heavily.

Ace ran to her own door and opened it.

"Professor?"

"I'll be with you shortly…just stay where you are."

His voice had come from somewhere in his own room, and then she heard the sound of running water.

"Do you want some help in there?" she called out.

"No, I'm fine, I just want to have a bath and change my clothes before I do anything else. I've been ill, sweating, and bleeding and I don't smell too good either! I just need to get cleaned up. I won't be long."

"Okay…" she replied, wondering why he had not invited her in, and then she went back into her own room, stood in front of the mirror and began to brush her hair, deciding the dress alone was not enough - she wanted her hair and make up to match her outfit, she wanted to look her best, because that would _really_ help the Professor to forget his problems for a while…

* * *

The Doctor had bathed and thought about putting on another of his duplicate suits along with another question mark jumper, but instead he had decided on a dark suit with a dark red waistcoat. Ace rarely saw him in different attire, but today he wanted her to see him looking his best, even though he knew he didn't look quite so good with his clothes _off _– before dressing, he had paused to turn and inspect his upper body in the bathroom mirror, and he had seen the heavy dressing on the back of his neck and the many implants fixed to his body, a visible reminder of the truth.

_He still didn't want to tell her._

But after carefully combing his hair to cover the silver implant fixed to the side of his head, the Doctor opened the door of his room and called to Ace.

He heard her footsteps a short distance away and he went back inside and took in a slow breath.

_His mind was made up now. _

He was going to tell her everything, because he had to – time was running out…

Ace stepped into the room and as he looked at her his hearts skipped a beat.

"You look lovely."

Ace smiled, noticing he was wearing a different suit.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Professor."

He took her by the hand and led her from the bedroom into the library, where a fire was burning warmly and the firelight cast a soft glow around the room.

They sat together on a sofa near the fireplace and the Doctor looked into her eyes.

"Professor?" Ace asked, "What's this about? Why are you being all mysterious, I'm not sure I understand what's going on?"

He drew in another deep breath and looked down, avoiding her gaze as he began to speak:

"It's not a question of if the implants fail, its _when_. It was never a long term solution. I was hoping Dr Bailey might come up with a cure but I just checked the analysis of the toxin and the Tardis can only identify eighty percent of the formula – there's an unknown quantity that can't be identified. I've got one chance left to prolong my life – Carla thinks she can put some drugs together to hold off the toxin's progress. But it won't be forever. Eventually the toxin will take over and kill me and my ability to regenerate_. I'm dying, Ace. I'm dying_."

She said nothing.

As he turned his head and looked at her, he saw tears had filled her eyes.

"No…" she said in a voice choked by tears, "No, you can't be –"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I kept hoping for a miracle so I'd never have to tell you, but it didn't turn out that way. Please don't cry, not now, not today."

He reached out and brushed away her tears, and then looked deeply into her eyes as he gently took hold of her shaking hands.

"Ace," he said softly, "There's something _else_ I need to say, and it's important."

She was still distraught.

"You _should_ have told me – I needed to know –"

"And now you do –"

"But you _hid_ it from me –"

"And I'm sorry! _Please _listen to me, this can't wait!"

She blinked.

"What can't wait?"

"Ace…"

He fell silent for a moment, pausing to gather his thoughts.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she said again, sounding hurt.

"Ace, I'm trying to –"

"You should have told me!"

He gripped her hands tighter, looking into her eyes intently, holding her gaze as he raised his voice sharply demanding no interruption.

"_Dorothy McShane."_

She stared at him. He always called her Ace_, never_ by her real name…

He had her attention now.

He kept a tight grip on her hands as he spoke again, this time softly:

"Dorothy McShane," he said fondly, "Give me your hand."

Ace stared at him.

"Professor…you're asking me to –"

"_Be my wife,"_ he said, _"Today, Marry me today…"_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ace had said nothing as she looked into the Doctor's eyes.

She just kept on looking at him, remembering every moment they had ever spent together, every nightmare, every adventure, every moment of his crazy paving life, shared with her – and then she gave a sob and put her arms around him, clinging to him as she wished she could hold him forever and defy the sickness inside him that was slowly snatching him away.

"Ace?" his voice was trembling, "Ace…say something, please…"

He ran his hand over her hair as she held on to him, and then she drew back and looked into his eyes.

"Of _course_ I will!" she said tearfully, "I'll marry you, Professor! I'll marry you and look after you until…forever, I'll be with you, I love you."

And then as she held him again, he closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her hair as he felt relieved to know Ace would be his wife, and at the same time sadness filled his heart as he wondered how long they would have together, and he wished he had asked her a long time ago, so they could have had more time:

_Time had meant little to him as he had travelled the universe in the Tardis – until he had found out the very thing that used to be at his fingertips to use as he wished, was finally running out…_

* * *

A short while later they stood side by side in a private room on the upper deck that had been set aside for the occasion.

Ace had often wondered if she would marry one day, and what her wedding would be like.

She had _not_ imagined it would happen out in deep space in a plain metallic room while she sat beside the Doctor and the ship's captain held the ceremony while Carla Bailey and one of her medics sat in the room to be witnesses to the occasion.

They exchanged their vows quietly, and when Ace repeated the words _In sickness and in health_, her voice trembled, but she held it together, because she was determined _not _to break down and sob in the middle of her vows.

She had no idea where the rings had come from, both were plain gold bands that were on the table in front of them in a dark velvet box, and she slid the Doctor's ring on his finger easily, but he had not been so careful, his hand shaking as he took up her ring, then he dropped it and it hit the floor and rolled but Carla reached down and grabbed it and handed it back to him as his face flushed.

"Sorry," he said, and turned back to Ace and as his hand still trembled, slid the ring on to her finger.

Their vows complete, he leaned closer and kissed her, and then he smiled.

"I love you Ace," he said softly.

"Love you too," she told him, and then she kissed him again.

They got up from their seats and walked out of the room hand in hand, and again Ace thought how she never would have guessed her marriage, when it did happen, would be so rushed, so low key, it was nothing like she had expected, but then she looked at the Doctor and she knew in her heart she had done the right thing – she had married the man she loved, and it was all he wanted to do before he died, to make her his wife, and that made perfect sense to both of them…

* * *

Carla joined them in the corridor, smiling as she noticed they were still holding hands.

"Congratulations," she said, "I expect you'll want me to disappear now – I don't want to take up any more of your time, I just wanted to remind you, Doctor – don't leave the ship without letting me know. I'm working on the drug therapy idea and as soon as I come up with a treatment plan I'll be letting you know. Have you decided what you want to do?"

He looked back at her and said nothing, shaking his head as he wondered if she ought to have brought that subject up now, moments after he had married Ace.

"_Yes he will do it,"_ Ace replied, "As long as you're confident the analysis the Tardis came up with can be helpful."

The Doctor turned his head sharply and felt no pain thanks to the shot Carla had given him a short while back. He glared at his new wife.

"That's up to _me_, Ace!"

But this time he saw no startled look in her eyes as he remained visibly angered.

"I'm your wife now," she reminded him, "I want a say in decisions that affect your life. If there's a chance she can help you to live longer, I want you to take it."

"I'm not discussing it now," he said to Carla, "Take a look at the Tardis report on the toxin and see what you think. We'll speak more tomorrow."

And then he let go of his new wife's hand and pointed towards the end of the deck with his question mark umbrella.

"I'm going back to the Tardis," he said to Ace, "I hope you're coming too."

And then he walked off, without her.

Ace wondered if she ought to have said nothing about Carla's offer to try a new treatment, and then she wondered if their wedding night would be spent quarrelling over it.

"I think I've upset him…"

"It's been a very emotional day," Carla reminded her, "Just go easy on him."

Her remark reminded Ace she had a question that needed asking before she joined the Doctor in the Tardis.

"Dr Bailey…" Ace paused, feeling awkward, "This toxin…is it okay for us to…I mean, are we safe to –"

"It's not contagious," Carla assured her, "The toxin is designed to attack Timelord blood. It stays within the victim; it's not transferred by touch, or via body fluids of any description. The only risk is how weak he is, so remember he tires easily. He may seem almost back to his usual self but he's not. He's very fragile, even though you can't tell by looking at him."

Then she smiled.

"So don't wear him out, and don't let him wear himself out, either!"

Ace returned her smile.

"I'll take good care of him," she promised, and then she turned and walked away in the direction of the Tardis.

* * *

Ace found the door of the police box ajar, and she pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Professor?" she called out, but got no reply.

She closed the door behind her, and then turned back to the console hearing the familiar hum of the place, yet some how it seemed at a lower volume than usual.

She made her way out to the corridor, and paused by the door to his room.

"Professor?" she said softly.

And he opened the door.

He looked at her fondly as he smiled. His jacket was off, his tie was off and his waistcoat was open and he looked tired all of a sudden.

"Sorry I snapped at you," he said, "I just heard her talking about more treatment and I thought about how futile everything else had proved to be and I panicked…I didn't mean to be so sharp. Come here."

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, and in that moment she knew she was forgiven.

"I didn't mean to try and push you into something that you didn't want to do –"

_"Shh…"_

He briefly placed a fingertip on her lips.

"It doesn't matter now," he told her, "My choices are limited. And all I want to do is stay alive to be with you. That's my aim now."

Ace felt hopeful once more. Anything had to be worth a try, even if all other treatments before had failed…

"As long as we have hope, it's all we need," she said.

The Doctor took hold of her hand and led her into his room and closed the door.

"Let's not talk any more about my problems," he said, "I want to forget everything."

He had led her over to his bed, it was big and looked soft, the lights were dim and the drapes around the four posts and the canopy above it cast the room in a gentle shade of restfulness as a fire glowed in the hearth across the other side of the room.

"_Come to bed,"_ he whispered, sliding his hands over her hips, feeling her through the fabric of her dress, _"Let me hold you and be with you and forget everything but you."_

They sat down together on the bed and as he drew her closer she hesitated.

"We need to be careful…not too much excitement."

The Doctor thought about it for a moment.

"_Don't worry, Ace,"_ he said_, "I'm aware I'm many centuries older than you, and with much more experience in the bedroom – but I think you'll survive!"_ And his eyes sparkled playfully.

Ace laughed, and then he pushed gently on to the mattress and took her in his arms.

_For a while, they could both forget everything._

He had kissed her as his hands gently slid over her body until their kisses had grown more passionate – and then he had reminded her that he could not lay on his back because the cybernetic implants were painful, and after some shifting about and Ace discovering the importance of pillows in the right places, they had shared their love tenderly, slowly, and then afterwards as the Doctor slept, Ace stayed awake, her arm draped around him as he lay on his side snoring lightly.

She watched him sleeping, reached out to gently brush a lock of dark hair off his face, and then she leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

"I love you Professor," she whispered, "I love you so very much…"

And the Doctor, exhausted from the exertion of making love, slept on soundly.

* * *

_Two hours passed_.

Then the Doctor turned on his back, frowned as he felt discomfort from the implants set close to his spine, and he opened his eyes.

He looked at Ace and smiled warmly.

"Sorry I fell asleep so soon…I'm not usually like that, I just feel so tired."

And then his smile faded.

"Eventually I'll be too weak to do this with you…I don't want to think about that…"

Ace shifted closer and rested her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her.

"Then don't think about it. Just think about you and me, and this moment."

But the Doctor had started to think, and his expression had become serious once again.

"I don't care how hopeless it seems – I'm not giving up without a fight. There _has_ to be a cure for this thing."

Ace recalled her conversation with Karen.

"The security guard I spoke to –"

"Oh Ace, what does a security guard know? I need a _scientific_ opinion –"

"But that's what I was trying to tell you – I don't think she is a security guard."

The Doctor blinked. His eyes widened and then he sat up in bed, alert as his mind turned over many possibilities.

"Tell me now, I'm listening."

Ace sat up too. The covers slid down to her waist and his gaze briefly wandered over her body as he wondered if he had rested long enough to take her in his arms again, but then he cancelled that thought as she began to explain.

"She was working down in the retail section. I just sort of bumped into her. She seemed to know about you and me. I told her about the toxin and she said the Master could be behind it. She said, to create a toxin to kill a Timelord, the person would need access to Timelord DNA."

"But I left him on the Cheetah Planet, and the planet was breaking up!"

"But _if _he got away, he would have used his knowledge to counteract the power the place had over him, he would have eradicated it – using chemistry, that's what she said. She seemed to know a lot about him, and she said I should keep away from Morgan Vanrik, but I'm not sure why –"

"What did she look like?"

His question had taken her by surprise, he was fixing her with a dark, intense stare as his voice filled with urgency.

"Well, normal, not alien…"

"No, Ace – what did she _look_ like? _Describe_ her, this is important!"

Ace thought for a moment.

"Tall, slim, long blonde hair tied back…why?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, and then he scratched his head.

"Let me see...who _is_ she…" he muttered, and then he started to smile.

"Yes, of course!"

He snapped his fingers.

"I think I've got it. Come on, we're getting up – we need to pay a visit to this security guard!"

And he got out of bed and opened up his wardrobe, taking out a spare suit that was a duplicate of his usual attire.

He paused to look back at Ace.

"She's on our side, but he's not. If I'm right, Morgan Vanrik doesn't exist. Get dressed, Ace. Dress for a fight, you'll have to forget this is our wedding night. And bring your bat, you might need it."

Ace got out of bed.

"Are you sure about this? Because I met Vanrik, he's real…I've spoken to him…"

As the Doctor put on his shirt he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, and saw a body covered with cybernetic implants, a reminder of all the pain he had suffered because of one man, and his face darkened as he recalled his old enemy.

_"He's not Morgan Vanrik, it's a disguise. He's the Master, I'm sure of it. Get dressed, Ace. We've got work to do."_

She nodded, saying nothing, and then she hurried from the room, trying to forget this was her wedding night as she hoped the Professor was right about his theory…

* * *

"Hurry up!" the Doctor called out.

He was standing outside her bedroom door, and the door was open, and as she stepped into a tight fitting body suit that looked like a sleeveless cat suit but also had a bullet proof coating, she tugged up the zip quickly.

"You've seen me naked, we've had sex – _more_ than once – and you're waiting _outside _while I get dressed?"

He glanced in as she grabbed her rucksack and stuffed her baseball bat into it, and he briefly smiled.

"If I came in we wouldn't be getting much done tonight, Ace. Hurry up, I want to get to the bottom of this poisoning. If it is him, he wouldn't be stupid enough to develop a toxin like that without creating an antidote in case he was accidentally exposed to it."

Ace suddenly felt a spark of hope for the Professor. She left her room and as she joined him in the Tardis corridor, her eyes lit up with optimism.

"We'll find the antidote first."

"First?" he asked, "And then what?"

The look in her eyes turned to one of anger.

"And then I'm going to kill him for what he's done to you, _and_ for disturbing us on _my_ wedding night!"

"Let's just find this security guard first, then we'll deal with the Master. And you _know _I don't like the idea of killing anyone."

Anger still raged in her eyes.

He thought about the hell he had gone through because of the toxin, and then his own expression darkened once more.

"_Perhaps, just this once I'll make an exception to that rule!"_ he said in a low voice, _"Come on Ace, let's go…"_

And they made their way up the corridor, through the console room and stepped out of the Tardis, and headed for the lift that would take them to the retail floor.

As they stood together in the lift, the Doctor glanced at Ace and noticed rage was still burning in her eyes.

He didn't blame for feeling like murder; he was pretty close to it himself, as much as the thought repelled him. He had always thought violence was never the answer, that a peaceful solution was always the preferred route to solving a problem, no matter how big that problem may be…

But since he had suffered such pain and had the experience of learning even a Timelord's life could be cut short, he had truly grown to hate the Master in a way he had never known hatred before. He now saw all his potential lives ahead of him dashed away, his current incarnation spent in pain until his death – all because an old enemy wanted the ultimate revenge…

_Yes, today he could easily lay aside his principles._

Killing the Master was not such an abhorrent idea now…

"You're thinking about it," Ace said quietly, "I know you are, I can feel it… I can see it in your eyes. You want him dead too."

"Maybe," he replied, "But right now I just want to know there's an antidote. I'm saving myself before I make my mind up about his miserable life!"

And then the lift came to a stop and they stepped out into the dimly lit retail sector.

* * *

Ace led the way through the closed down food court as the Doctor cast a glance around, looking into the shadows for that which could not be seen by the glow of the electrical lighting.

"I think he's been here," he said darkly, "I can feel him, a trace of him…"

"I thought I saw someone on the second level last time I came here, but Karen checked it out –"

"And he was gone?"

She nodded, and then confusion filled her eyes.

"How would you know that?"

"He was watching you. I don't like this, Ace. I don't like it at all…"

"Why would he be watching me?"

They stopped walking. Anger burned deeper in the Timelord's eyes as he answered her question.

"Because he knows you're with me. It's not enough for him to kill me, he wants to harm you too! And I _won't_ let that happen!"

Her eyes softened as she looked at the man she had just married – it was still strange to think that the Professor had suddenly become her husband, one moment they had been friends whose love had deepened and the next they had married quickly with little ceremony about it, because he was dying. She could see reminders of how weak he was just by a single glance; his face was pale and shadows hung beneath his eyes. But his eyes still burned with the fire of a life that refused to give in and be snuffed out. Her Professor was determined to fight, and now he knew who the enemy was, she hoped it meant the fight had just become that little bit easier…

"Remember you're not very strong," she said, "But I am. I can fight for both of us if I have to."

"And I've no doubt you will."

They both turned to see a woman step out of the shadows.

Ace breathed a relieved sigh as she recognised her at once.

"This is Karen," she said to the Doctor, "The security guard I told you about."

And she looked to Karen as she spoke again.

"Tell him what you told me – about your theory about the Master."

She stepped closer and looked down at the short man in the question mark jumper and smiled.

He looked up at her and smiled back.

For a moment all trace of his anger, along with all thoughts of the Master, had disappeared.

"It's been a long time," he said warmly, "A very long time."

She untied her hair and it tumbled long and fair past her shoulders as she smiled back at him.

"It certainly has, Doctor! You've changed a great deal –"

"I've had a few regenerations along the way," he replied.

And Ace felt confused, along with a slight rising of the green-eyed monster as she noticed a warmth pass between them, like an old spark re-igniting…

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The woman smiled and looked back at the Doctor.

"I'll let him explain," she said.

The Doctor smiled at her again, which made Ace prickle with envy, and then he told her everything:

"This is Romana, a Time Lady from Gallifrey and my travelling companion several lifetimes ago."

"Oh…okay." Ace replied, unsure if her feelings of jealousy were justified or not.

Then the Doctor frowned as he turned back to her.

"But that was when I was in my fourth life – what brings you here?"

"Well our Tardis picked up a signal, from a time not too far from this time and place – a change in the timeline, a rather big change."

She paused, glancing around to be sure no one else was about to hear here, and then she continued:  
"This ship is the Cassandra - Aurora. In the original timeline it exploded just before it reached earth. But of course, the Tardis was not on board. We were passing through this time zone and our Tardis picked up a signal to suggest a future Tardis was on board the ship – yours. And something else is on board, too…if it's a second Tardis, it's well cloaked against scanning material and possibly has an active chameleon circuit because it's not visible to our systems."

"So your Tardis could have been dragged into this trap instead of mine?"

"No," Romana replied, "The Doctor – _my_ Doctor – already looked into that possibility. There was a distress code sent out – to be received loud and clear on _your _frequency only. What's happened, have you and the Master had a bitter fight?"

He recalled their battle on the Cheetah Planet.

"Something like that," he replied, "He's wanted me dead for centuries any way."

"I decided to come over and warn you. I'm due to leave soon, the Doctor wants me out of here, and way ahead of the explosion. "

"What causes it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Romana replied, "Historically, it's a mystery. A sudden explosion most likely triggered by the self-destruct command. That's all that's known about it."

The Doctor recalled the images that had flashed through his mind before he collapsed while working on the main system.

"A ghost ship…I knew there was more…an explosion in space..._that's_ what I was remembering! This ship is destined to self destruct before it reaches earth!"

Ace stared at him.

"So everyone on board is going to die? We can't let that happen!"

"Perhaps not," he replied thoughtfully, "We have yet to uncover the reason why…Do you know how long we have until the disaster?"

"Twenty four hours," Romana replied, "As of now."

And she reached into her pocket and drew out a small golden disc that began to flash.

"I'm gone soon. Be _careful_ – Vanrik is the Master, he's disguised beneath cyber skin."

And she looked to Ace.

"You were right not to trust him."

Ace felt cold shoot through her blood as she recalled how close she had been to him, how she had sat with him and poured out her troubles…

"I feel sick!" she exclaimed, and turned away and wandered over to a seating area, where she sat to take some deep breaths as she tried to rid herself of the feeling of shock that had washed over her.

Now there was a distance between Ace and the Doctor, Romana stepped closer and lowered her voice as she leaned a little closer to his ear.

_"Choose wisely, Doctor. I've travelled forward in time and heard whispers about you, about the Seventh Doctor and the decisions he makes. I also know the path you walk is not an easy one. The Master would rather die than hand you the antidote. It's going to be a struggle for a while, but eventually, there is hope. Don't give up. And please think before your heart makes decisions you may regret. This ship exploded with all on board lost, it happened for a reason. Don't change history, remember ripples through time can have consequences."_

And then as she looked at him, compassion filled her eyes.

_"I'm sorry for your struggle. But in the end, it will be worth it. Stay strong and remember Ace loves you."_

The Doctor was speechless as he took in all she had said.

Then she embraced him tightly.

"Stay strong," she reminded him, and then as she let go and stepped back, the device in her hand flashed, and the glow became brilliant white, and she disappeared.

Ace got up from her seat and walked over to the Doctor, looking at the spot where Romana had stood.

"What did she just say to you?"

"She warned me about the future," he told her, "That's all…we've got twenty-four hours to find the Master and the antidote."

And he turned away and headed for the lift.

Ace ran to catch up with him.

"But what else did she say?"

The lift doors opened and the Doctor glanced at Ace and he wished he could tell her everything. But as much as he loved the woman who was now his wife, he was not prepared to tell her more than she needed to know, because he already saw fear in her eyes.

_"Nothing,"_ he replied, _"She just told us to be careful."_

And then they entered the lift and the doors closed and the Doctor hit the button for the staff quarters, and as the lift descended he said no more about Romana's warning of all that was yet to come…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The lift continued to climb.

Ace drew in a deep breath as it came to a halt and the doors opened.

"Remember," the Doctor said as they stepped out, "He doesn't know he's been found out. We need to keep that to our advantage."

Ace nodded, and then they began to walk along the dimly lit corridor as the lights flickered.

The end of the passageway was still in darkness, and Ace dropped her voice to a whisper.

"It was like this last time I came down here…are you sure you're okay with the lights, Professor?"

"It'll take more than a few bulbs on the blink to scare me away, Ace!"

"No – I meant, after what Dr Bradley said…she said you might have seizures because of the implant…I was thinking about the lights…"

The Doctor had not given the lights a second thought until she had reminded him.

"I'll be fine," he said quickly, hoping for the best as he continued to walk towards the darkened end of the passage, but now he kept his gaze downward, avoiding the glare of the flickering lighting as much as he could.

As he spoke again he kept his voice low.

"As far as _Morgan _is concerned, I'm just paying him a visit…we don't let on until we have to. I know you want to kill him Ace, but remember it's the antidote we're after. That's what matters most of all."

"Of course it does!" she agreed, feeling apprehensive as they stepped into the gloom at the end of the passage where the overhead lighting was dead.

"I'll go first," the Doctor told her, and then he stepped up to the door and knocked twice with the handle of his umbrella.

* * *

Far off in space, the Fourth Doctor's Tardis floated gently against blackness punctured by stars.

Romana stood by the viewing screen, the teleport device still alight in her hand as the power that ran through it made her eyes sparkle gold. She blinked and the residual power ceased to flow, and the device fell dark.

"I still think we should do more!"

She turned back to the Doctor.

He looked up from the console with a questioning look in eyes shaded by thick curly hair.

"More?" he echoed, "How much _more _do you need to do, Romana? He knows, you warned him. That should suffice. It would if I was him –"

"But he's not _quite_ like you."

"All the more reason to step back. He knows not to meddle with history. That ship exploded due to self-destruct, there must have been a reason…a reason enough to kill all three hundred passengers on board. This is _his_ battle, our involvement would only complicate matters."

Sadness shaded her eyes as she thought of the Seventh Doctor.

"Sometimes I wish we didn't look into the future. It's like opening Pandora's box."

He studied her thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"We know he won't be able to take the antidote from the Master. We know he's going to suffer because of that. I just want to go back for one more hour and –"

"_No." _

The Doctor turned a dial and threw a switch and the crystal column rose and fell as the Tardis travelled on, deeper into space.

Hurt registered in her eyes as she looked back at him.

"_He's you."_

"Me several regenerations from now. And the Cassandra- Aurora is perilously close to earth when she explodes. That's reason enough to step back. _We can do no more_."

His tone had been final.

She placed the inactive teleport device on the console and looked into his eyes.

"I suppose I just wish I knew that other you in the future didn't have to suffer so greatly."

"Well I just took us back," he said, "Back into the past, to a far distant galaxy. Take a look at the stars, Romana. Let's watch them together and banish all thoughts of my future in another life. It's yet to be. So leave it alone and let it unfold as it should."

Romana gave a sigh as she looked out at the blackness of space and the swirling colours of nearby planets, all looked framed by stars.

"I do wish them well, they're up against so much," she said quietly.

And he stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You warned him," he said again, "That is enough."

And then they stood together in silence, watching stars burning brightly as planets turned.

* * *

As they stood together in the darkened corridor of the passenger quarters of the Cassandra-Aurora, the Doctor knocked on the door again with the red question mark handle of his umbrella.

"Morgan Vanrik?" he called out, "It's the Doctor…I'm out here with Ace…"

And then the door opened.

Ace looked down at the floor, thinking of nothing but how fast she could reach around and grab her bat if she needed it – he was the Master, and she hadn't known before because the bastard had tricked her, she had been alone with him as he asked about the Doctor's illness…. No doubt he had laughed about all she had said after she left, and the thought made her blood boil. She didn't want to look at him, because if she did, she knew she would hit him…

"Ace!" exclaimed Morgan Vanrik, "How wonderful to see you – and you must be the Doctor!"

He smiled and extended his hand.

The Doctor forced a brief smile and declined his handshake.

"Please, come in," Morgan said, opening the door wide.

Ace exchanged a glance with the Doctor, who went into the room first, and then she followed, still avoiding the gaze of the man who she wanted to kill.

"It's a real honour to meet you!" Morgan exclaimed, "You are a true legend! Do have a seat, and feel free to ask me anything at all about my reasons for taking a place on this flight – I did explain to your friend here, but I'm happy to explain all over again if you still need clarification."

The Doctor sat down on the sofa, and Morgan sat beside him.

Ace remained standing, wandering over to a narrow window that showed a view of deep space beyond. As she stood there she saw the two men reflected in the darkened glass and she watched as the conversation unfolded, all the while remembering it would take seconds to grab her baseball bat…

The Doctor leaned casually against than back of the sofa, settling comfortably as he looked at Morgan.

"So you're the archaeologist who paid a fortune to grab a seat on this flight…"

"And I had a genuine reason, I did explain to your friend –"

"_Wife."_

He blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Ace is my wife," he repeated, "We married today. We couldn't afford to wait because my life is at risk because of the toxin."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Morgan replied, "I hope your situation changes soon – there must be a cure, it's just a matter of discovering it."

"_And perhaps it's closer than I think."_

Ace turned to see the look in Morgan Vanrik eyes change to one of hostility.

"And how would you know that?"

The Doctor's fuse had proved shorter than he intended as rage spilled over. He moved much faster than Ace expected him to, considering all he had endured. The Doctor hooked his umbrella around Morgan's neck, pulling sharply, the movement a blur as Vanrik gasped for breath, his other hand was somewhere between his shoulder and his throat, digging his fingers in as Vanrik gave a sharp cry of pain.

"Because I know who you _really_ are!" the Doctor fumed.

He met his gaze defiantly.

"_And you will die!" _he spat, half choking as he raised a hand and dealt a sharp blow to the side of the Doctor's head, his closed fist bouncing off the implant as the punch sent him sprawling to the floor.

Ace had intended to reach for the bat, but instead she gave a gasp as the Doctor rolled over on to his back, his hat beside him and his umbrella still in his grasp as blood trickled from beneath the implant half hidden by his hair. He was knocked out cold.

"_No!"_ Ace yelled, _"NO, you won't touch him again, you've done enough damage!"_

She lunged at the man who was still on the sofa, and the bat clattered to the floor as she balled her hands into tight fists.

He had not expected her to attack him so quickly and with such rage, they both tumbled to the floor and then she was astride him, deflecting his blows as she lashed out with her fists. A solid, square punch to his face momentarily stunned him and sent pain searing through her knuckles. But the pain meant nothing to her as the need for revenge scorched through her blood.

"_I'm going to kill you!"_" she raged, "But first, _first_..."

Her hands were pressing into his flesh, twisting his face beneath the pressure of her grip as she dug her fingernails in and cybernetic fluid leaked out as the skin began to split, _"But first, I'm going to rip off your face! SHOW ME YOUR REAL ONE!"_

It broke apart beneath her fingertips, flesh and hair sliding off as the face beneath the artificial skin shone wet with cybernetic fluid.

The sight of him shocked her; here was a man she had believed died on the Cheetah Planet. She had hoped he was dead, wished him dead, wanted nothing more than for the Doctor's worst enemy to be wiped out…

But here he was, looking up at her with triumph shining in his eyes as he laughed darkly.

"My lovely Ace…how you've changed!" he exclaimed, "You've become quite a woman…_wasted_ on him…"  
And he flipped her over, she landed hard on her back and the breath was knocked from her body as he pinned her down.

"Not a good bet, was it?" he said as amusement crept into his voice and he held her arms down, "You thought you had such a life of excitement to look forward to, not much fun now, is it? Not much fun stuck with a sick Timelord whose days are coming to an end… Sorry about that. I had to eliminate him, Ace. If you're so determined to be the wife of a Timelord, perhaps you should find yourself _another_ one."

He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear.

_"I think you and me could find a way to get along…"_

And he pressed his face against her hair, inhaling the scent of her.

Ace stiffened, every muscle in her body ready for a fight.

He breathed out against her face as he looked into her eyes.

"You made the wrong choice back in Perivale. You should have joined me, the Cheetah Planet still lives within me, and I still feel its power - and I think you do, too…."

He smiled and his teeth grew sharp.

Ace knew her eyes were flickering, cat-like as she felt the swirl of anger rise within her.

"_NO!"_ she yelled, and raised her knee, slamming it into his groin.

The Master cried out and fell back, losing his grip on her arms.

She sprang to her feet and grabbed her bat, holding it in a two handed grip as she looked at the man before her on his knees slowly recovering as she wondered where to hit him first.

"I won't fight for the sake of violence and hatred," she said as she gripped the bat tighter, "But I'll fight for _him_ –" she glanced to the Doctor, who was still unconscious on the floor, and then defiance burned in her eyes as she looked back at the Master.

"_I'll fight for him every single time. I'll do it for love."_

"Love?"

The Master rose to his feet, suddenly recovered and seeming far stronger than she had first thought.

He laughed darkly.

"You are wasting your time," he said to her, "He's dying. Forget the Doctor, he's finished!"

She shook her head, stepping back as she wielded the bat.

"_Give me the antidote."_

He snatched up a stack of papers from the table.

"I've got a formula for the antidote right here," he told her, and he stepped back towards the hearth and cast the papers into the fire.

She stared at him in shock.

"_Bastard…"_ she whispered, and then he bolted for the door.

* * *

Ace swung the bat and it hit wood, connecting with the door frame as the Master ducked to avoid the blow and ran from the room.

The burning paperwork slipped from the fire on to the carpet and Ace turned to see the rug beside the fire ignite.

As smoke curled up, an alarm began to screech and overhead sprinklers came on. As the water fell down, the Doctor became aware of rain falling on to his face, and then he twitched as it hit his face again, and opened his eyes and sat up sharply, becoming aware of the sprinkler system drowning the room in cold water.

His head throbbed as he turned to Ace.

"_Don't _let him get away…I'm right behind you…"

Ace ran from the room, and the Doctor tried to stand, but fell back once more as his head ached and the room span violently and blood ran from beneath the now dented implant that was fixed to the side of this head.

He thought of Ace, in pursuit of the Master, and wondered what kind of a chance she would stand against him alone…

The implant was throbbing. It was damaged; he could feel a stinging pulse of current flickering across wounded flesh beneath it.

_He would be going nowhere unless he fixed the problem._

_The implant had to go…_

He took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and activated it, adjusted the frequency and then raised it with a shaking hand, hoping his calculations had been right because he was in pain, slightly concussed and the implant was firing off mild electrical pulses along raw, wounded flesh. He knew one error in the calculation would mean the difference between the implant deactivating and the release mechanism snapping open, or blowing his own brains out…

He closed his eyes as he held the screwdriver to the implant and cautiously activated the control.

The screwdriver whined, heat seared through the implant and then started to burn.

"_Come on…"_ the Doctor whispered_, "Two more seconds…"_

And the heat increased, and the small shocks that flickered across his head ceased, and there was a brief moment of pain as the release mechanism snapped open, and he switched off the screwdriver and grabbed at the heated metal, pulling it away from the side of his head.

It was cooling as he held it in his palm, noticing the serrated edges of the underside now stained like bloody metal teeth, and then he dropped it to the floor and used his umbrella to lean on as he staggered to his feet.

The vertigo was leaving him now and the pain that had throbbed through his head was fading.

The Doctor wasted no more time, blocking out all thoughts of pain and discomfort as he hurried out the door to find Ace, who was somewhere alone in the darkened passageway, still in pursuit of the Master…

* * *

The sprinkler system had activated through out the level.

Water poured down as the lights flickered and Ace pushed her wet hair off her face as water ran down her shoulders and exposed arms. She had not let go of the bat, she clung to it firmly as she made her way up the corridor, turned a corner and found herself in an area she was not familiar with.

"_Where are you?"_ she yelled, and her voice echoed back at her as the water continued to fall.

She looked back over her shoulder, but saw no sign of the Doctor. Ace thought about how the Master had knocked him out with a single punch, and her anger grew.

"_Stop hiding!"_ she shouted.

And the water continued to fall down, as the sprinklers continued to work and the lights flickered on and off.

Then she heard the sound of hurried footfalls on a metal stairway.

She turned, once again pushing wet hair off her face as she tightened her grip on the handle of the bat.

Through faltering lights and pouring water, she caught sight of a stairway at the other end of the corridor.

She ran for it, stumbling as lights flickered on and off and each time it happened, shadows leapt up the walls.

Ace was slightly breathless as she reached the stairway. It led to the next level, where at the top, a shadow shrank out of sight.

She drew in a slow breath, wishing she was not on a space craft, because she had never needed nitro nine as much as she did now – but such an explosion could rip a hole in the ship and kill everyone – what ever did cause this ship to blow in just under twenty-four hour's time, she was sure her nitro nine would have nothing to do with it, because she had taken the Doctor's advice and left it back at the Tardis…

_She only had the bat._

Ace had the bat in wet, slippery hands and the water was still falling and the lights continued to falter, and the metal stairway was wet. It would _not_ be the safest of climbs and she knew it was likely she would be walking into a trap.

_But the Doctor was counting on her._

She glanced back and still saw no sign of him. She wondered if the blow dealt by the Master had been too much for the Professor to handle. He was weak, he was ill, and it was the Master's fault.

And the bastard was just a few short steps away…

She felt as if the weapon was screaming out to make contact with the head of the Doctor's enemy.

Ace kept a grip on the bat in one hand, grabbed the rail with the other, and began to climb the stairway.

* * *

The Doctor stood in the darkened end of the passageway, leaning against the wall as another attack of vertigo made his head spin.

He closed his eyes and drew in several deep breaths, fighting off the pain as the water continued to fall and he wasn't certain if his hat was soaked through or if blood was running through his hair because of the disconnected the implant.

He wondered if he had made a huge mistake by letting his anger get the better of him as he had sat there, looking into the eyes of the man who wanted him dead, while he had been so heavily disguised. Perhaps he would have stood a better chance if he had allowed the conversation to continue a while longer…

_No._ He knew it at once; he could _not _have sat there a moment longer as the Master's eyes shone with such gloating pleasure as he had looked at him, seen how sick he looked… Of _course_ anger had got the better of him.

He used that same anger to block out his pain and weakness as he turned back towards the passageway, walking slowly at first and then gaining speed as he hurried towards the turn at the end of the corridor.

The water was still falling and the lights were flickering violently.

The Doctor reached the end of the corridor and heard a clatter on a stairway, the sound of someone hurrying upwards… it _had_ to be Ace!

He took in another deep breath as the pain cut through his head, and then he made his way towards the flight of metal steps.

* * *

Ace reached the top of the stairs, stepped away from the edge and took the bat in both hands.

As she looked around, confusion filled her eyes – there was no one to be seen. Up here no water fell, on this level the sprinkler system had not been activated. She was in a wide steel room, across the other side of it up a small flight of steps, led to a sealed door, above it was a sign that illuminated brightly:

CARGO HOLD.

She pushed her wet hair off her face and it clung chilly to her shoulders as she stepped closer, her toned muscles flexing as she regained a firm, heavy grip on the bat with both hands.

"_Come out…I know you're in here…"_ she whispered.

And a door slid back on a metal column set against the wall.

The Master stood there with a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"You found me!" he said mockingly, "Clever little girl."

She glared at him, gripping the bat so hard her knuckles turned white.

"_Who are you calling little?"_

He walked down the steps and away from his concealed Tardis, he was clad in black and wearing a flowing cape. Darkness glittered in his eyes as he spoke again.

"Yes, I set the trap and the Doctor walked straight into it. I developed a toxin worthy of destroying a Timelord, and I used a remote control arachnid to deliver it. I've also reprogrammed this ship to ensure it can not deviate from its flight path – it _must_ return to earth."

A creeping cold was spreading through her bones and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was soaked because of the water. There had been something in his voice that told her there was _much _more to this plan than simply to kill the Doctor…

"What have you done?" she demanded.

"_I took a second strain of the toxin and turned it into a virus that's capable of wiping out the human race. It's in the cargo hold. This is a ship of death, Ace. And the Doctor is dying with no hope of regeneration; what do you think of my plan? I deserve some kind of recognition for such a sterling effort – my enemy eliminated and earth's population wiped out…"_

She shook her head.

"You won't do this…you can't! The Doctor will stop you!"

"The Doctor is dying!" he reminded her, "He's finished, Ace. You might as well drop that weapon, take my hand and step into my Tardis – it's your only way off this ship."

_"Oh, shut up unless you've something new to say!"_

Relief shone in her eyes as Ace recognised the Doctor's voice.

He was soaked from the falling water and a trickle of blood ran down his neck and stained the collar of his shirt, but he was recovered from the blow that had knocked him out. Anger blazed in his eyes as he stepped into the room, putting all thoughts of pain and weakness to the back of his mind as he glared at the Master.

"That's right, I'm not dead yet!" he said bitterly, "It takes more than a dose of toxin to finish me off!"

As he spoke he looked defiantly at his enemy. His face was pale and shadows hung dark beneath his eyes, but he was still very much clinging to life and had lost none of his urge to fight back.

"You won't feel that way for much longer," the Master promised him, "You're growing weak, Doctor. Perhaps you could linger on for a few more years if you had the right combination of chemicals to fight the poison – but there is only _one_ antidote, and you will never have it."

And he drew a glass vial out from beneath his cloak and held it up.

Ace caught a look of desperation in the Doctor's eyes as he saw the white liquid inside the glass container, his only hope…

"_Just give it to him."_

The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced to Ace, who had lowered the bat.

"Don't do this!" he said in a low voice.

But Ace took a step forward.

"I'll do a deal with you – give him the antidote and take me with you. Take me - I won't fight you! _Please, let him live_."

"Ace, what are you doing?" the Doctor yelled, "You _can't_ reason with him!"

She blinked away tears and kept her gaze fixed on the Master.

"_Me for the antidote,"_ she said quietly to the Doctor's enemy, _"It's up to you…"_

The Master shook his head.

"I have far bigger ambitions than such a simple exchange," he replied, "But as the Doctor's life is so important to you…"

He paused, turning eyes that glittered darkly towards the Doctor, "We have been enemies for too long," he reflected, "Far too long, Doctor. I'm aware this antidote is your only hope. To me it was merely a precaution against infection while I developed the toxin – but to you, it's _life_."

The Doctor stared at him.

"I don't believe you have a shred of compassion left! Spare me the lies!"

The Master looked at him thoughtfully as he held up the vial containing the antidote.

"I'm aware I hold the only known cure, your only hope, here in my hand. I'm also aware of what the universe would be like without an adversary as worthy as you. And this has to end, now. _No more of this war between us_…"

The Doctor was still staring at him.

"Tell me what you want," the Master said, "Tell me, Doctor…"

He drew in a sharp breath, his gaze shifting from the Master to the antidote.

"You _know _I want to live!" he said in a hushed voice.

"Yes," the Master replied, "I _do_ know that, Doctor."

_And he let go of the vial._

As it fell Ace screamed _No_, and the Doctor could do nothing but stand there with a look of horror in his eyes as the glass container hit the floor and his only hope of a cure shattered into a thousand pieces…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As the vial shattered, the Master laughed.

The Doctor looked at him darkly, and then a smile briefly flickered about his lips.

"_You haven't won."_

The Master's amused expression vanished.

"But I have, Doctor… your condition is now incurable. I have no intention of ever sharing the secret of the antidote with you."

"And your plans to wipe out the human race will come to nothing!" the Doctor said in a low voice, "This ship doesn't reach earth. It's a ghost ship, a ship of death, vessel of the damned... call it what you will, but this ship does _not_ reach earth. You should have done your homework before choosing a random vessel passing by as my Tardis brushed its dimension. _You've set this trap for nothing – the earth is safe!_"

The Master's eyes grew wider. Despite his only hope of survival being shattered, the Doctor still had a look of victory in his eyes.

"He's right," Ace added, "This ship explodes before it reaches earth. No one knows why. Something to do with the self-destruct, that's the theory. Perhaps _you_ tampered with too many of the ships controls… maybe _you_ caused it. But this ship doesn't get to earth."

The Master looked down at the shattered glass and the lost antidote.

"At least you lose too, Doctor," he replied, and then he smirked.

_And then Ace lost it._

The Doctor's gaze had briefly shifted to the broken vial, and then his view of it was obscured as a blur in bulletproof clothing dashed forward, the bat swung in the air and the Master put up his arm in a futile attempt to deflect the blow.

The bat cracked bone, he fell to the floor and she swung the bat again as he tried to get up, smacking him across the side of his face.

The blow knocked him down again and he rolled, and the Doctor's first thought was that a blow like that would have shattered a human jawbone…

"_You're gonna DIE for this!"_ Ace yelled, hitting him again, this time a second blow against his broken arm.

"Ace, NO!"

The Doctor lunged forward, he threw his arms around her but she was still wrapped in the red mist urge to kill, to pulverise the Master until nothing was left… She pushed him off and the Doctor fell backwards, but scrambled to his feet as Ace prepared to bring the bat down on the Master yet again.

He dived at her, knocking her to the ground with force, they rolled together and the bloodstained bat was still in her hand as she landed on her back and finally realised it was the Professor who was holding her down.

"NO, Ace!" he said firmly, "He's the only one who knows how to make the antidote – if you kill him, I really do stand _no_ chance!"

His grip on her loosened as the anger faded from her eyes. She looked up at him, saw the Professor was pale and exhausted from the struggle, and then blood ran from the wound beneath his hair where the implant was missing, it trickled down his face and dripped on to her shoulder.

"_No more fighting,"_ he said in a weary voice, _"It's not the solution…"_

Then as he heard a cry of pain he turned his head in time to see the Master crawling back through the door of his concealed Tardis.

The door closed, and there was a sound that filled the room, a sound not unlike his own Tardis in many ways as the time control activated, and the steel column faded from view and vanished.

_"You let him go!"_ Ace exclaimed, sitting up as the Doctor's blood ran down from her shoulder and on to her clothing, "Why did you let him go?"

"Because as long as he's alive, there's a chance the antidote can be recreated."

Ace got to her feet and went over to the spot where the vial had smashed. Nothing remained of the cure to the toxin; it had melted away, simply evaporated and left no trace behind…

_"It can't be gone."_

She sounded tearful.

The doctor leaned on his umbrella as he got up, and then walked over to Ace and put an arm around her shoulder.

"He designed it to evaporate if the vial was smashed," he said quietly, "His way of ensuring he could torment me with its destruction."

Her eyes were glazed with tears as he looked back at the Doctor.

"What now?"

"Now we need to warn the captain about the dangerous contents of the cargo hold. They will have to find a way to keep the area isolated until the virus can be destroyed safely. Maybe they should freeze the contents with nitrogen, it could be worth suggesting. But they'll need to thoroughly scan the hold first. _Off you go, then_."

Ace blinked.

"Professor?"

"Off you go," he said to her, "I need you to go and explain about the virus in the cargo hold."

"And what about you?"

"I need to get back to the medical centre. The antidote's gone, I need to know if Carla's theory of chemical treatment is a real possibility or not."

"And if it's not?" Ace said quietly.

The Doctor smiled sadly as he leaned closer to her and looked into her eyes.

"If there's no hope left, I know a _very_ beautiful and peaceful planet where I'd be happy to spend my last days with you," he told her, and he fondly touched the tip of her nose, "Go and speak to the captain, Ace. I have to see Dr Bailey."

She hesitated.

"I'd rather come with you –"

"Go and speak to the captain, explain everything. And then meet me at the medical centre."

He gave her a brief kiss.

"_Go."_

Pain flickered in her eyes as she wondered what news awaited her when she rejoined him, but Ace simply blinked away tears, nodded, and then she walked away.

* * *

The Doctor waited for Ace to leave by the stairway and gave her time to reach the lift before he walked alone down the same route, calling the next lift and heading for the medical centre.

When the doors opened and he stepped out he felt certain about his decision:

I_f nothing could be done, he would take Ace off to a beautiful place, where he would live with her, until he died from the effect of the toxin. He would set the Tardis controls to make a final journey before the console fell dark forever – he would pre-program a flight to earth, to make sure Ace got home safely…_

_But if Dr Bailey could help him, he would take up her offer, he would grab his only chance of life and take it and fight until every last reserve of strength was gone. He wanted to live, he wanted to be with Ace and have a life free from pain, but he would take the pain if he had to, if it meant he could hold on to life…_

* * *

Carla Bailey was in her office.

She was studying a print out and then turning back to her computer, and as he walked in she looked up sharply, and then she put down the papers and rushed to his side.

"What happened to you?" she said in alarm, "I heard there was a fire warning on staff level, but scan showed up nothing –"

"Long story," he replied, "The Master was here. But he's gone now, and so is my last hope of a cure. He had the antidote in his hand and he smashed it."

And he looked into her eyes, silently begging for some hope.

She steered him over to a door and led him through to a treatment area.

"How did the implant come off?"

"_I burned it off with my sonic screwdriver."_

"You did what?" Carla exclaimed.

She led him over to a couch and he sat down and she hit a button reclining the chair, and then she turned his head and parted his hair to expose a bloody wound.

"I have to seal this, it won't close up on its own."

_"More pain. Go for it while I'm still coming off the last wave that almost killed me."_

She grabbed a spray can and hit the wound with a short blast that made the heat from the sonic screwdriver feel like mere warmth. As it burned and burned deeper still the Doctor caught his breath and blinked away tears. He could feel her cleaning up his hair and his face and neck, wiping away the blood quickly, but all that he could think about was the burning pain as the wound dried out.

"You burned it off? You could have killed yourself!" she said in disbelief.

"Do I _really _have much left to lose?"

She turned his head and he looked up at her. It surprised him to see she was tearful now.

"Yes you do!" she said, "Of _course_ you do! And _don't_ touch the other implants yet!"

"Yet?" he felt a spark of hope ignite within his hearts.

She pressed the button again and the couch shifted, sitting him upright sharply. The pain was fading fast and as he looked at her, he knew he was right – there was hope in her eyes, too, and he could have kissed her to see such a welcome sight.

"I've been working on the drug treatment idea. I've come up with a formula to treat the toxin, it won't destroy it completely, but as long as it can push the poisonous levels in your blood down to less than thirty percent, you can live with it. I can't promise the levels won't rise again – they most probably will, perhaps within three to six months of treatment, and that means we start treatment all over again. I know it's not as good as you hoped for, but it makes your condition treatable."

He smiled, but then he noticed she looked hesitant, and his smile faded.

"I would have preferred the bad news first. What's the down side to this?"

"The formula is a combination of fourteen very strong drugs. So on top of this you will also have to take medication to counteract the worst of the side effects, and there will certainly be some to deal with – not all are definite, but it's going to be a very rough ride. It's not an easy option, its painful and when it's over the effect won't last forever. You'll have to go through it all again, it's going to be a vicious circle until we either find the antidote or come up with another way to cure your condition. So it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing at all."

The Doctor fell silent for a moment. He had expected to react to bad news with thoughts for himself and the pain that lie ahead – but instead, his hearts ached for Ace, and with that heart ache came an unexpected change of plan.

"_This is so unfair on my wife,"_ he said quietly, and as he recalled sliding the wedding ring on to her finger, he wanted to cry for all that Ace would have to endure, this was the price she was paying, because he loved her, because he had been selfish enough to make her his wife, now she would have to watch him endure a great deal of pain. That had not been his plan when they had married, he had been filled with the romantic notion of living out his final days with the woman he loved, just enjoying the simple act of sharing life together while he still had life left – and now he felt as if he had cheated her out of that brief time of happiness; all she would do now was watch him suffer, and it would break her heart…

"Ace can help you." Carla said to him, "She can support you through all of this."

He looked at her intently and saw nothing there reflected back at him but the very best of intentions, and because of it chose not to snap at her as he gave his response.

"It's bad enough I'm going through hell. But to put her through it too? No, I can't do it to her, I'd rather leave now and take her with me –"

_"Professor…"_

He looked to the door and saw Ace standing there.

As she walked over to his side he noticed her eyes were blurred with tears.

She grabbed his hand and held it tightly and kept hold if it, refusing to let go.

"_I heard that,"_ she said quietly, "And you are _not _giving up now! We've gone through too much to stop fighting, understand me?"

And she gently smoothed his hair over the sealed up wound to the side of his head as she blinked to clear her vision.

_"You are going to take that formula, all fourteen of those drugs and I don't care how bad it gets, you are going to keep taking the treatment until it works, and when it stops working, you're going to do it all over again and keep going until we find the Master and find the antidote!"_

He reluctantly met her gaze as his eyes stung with tears.

"I know you're right," he said quietly, "It just seems wrong to force you to suffer too."

"I won't," she said, sounding stronger now, "I'll do what I do best, what I've always done. I'll watch out for you."

And her grip on his hand tightened, and then he started to smile as he found he was glad Ace had reminded him of that fact. Yes, she was there for him, and always would be no matter what happened in his crazy paving life…

_And he silently made a decision._

He was still holding his wife's hand as he looked at Dr Carla Bailey.

"I want you to work on the formula in my lab on the Tardis. It's far superior to the facilities you have here. I'd like you to pack up all the chemicals and meds and everything else you need and take it over there now. Could you do that for me?"

"Right now?"

His eyes reflected an apologetic expression.

"Just do it, before I change my mind?"

She smiled kindly.

"Of course, Doctor," she said, "I'll get started right away. I can work in your lab until we arrive on earth – in fact it's probably for the best, as the ship's going for a refit and I'd hate to switch labs in the middle of this."

"Good idea," the Doctor replied, and then as she gathered up paperwork and turned for the door, Ace shot the Doctor a surprised look as she lowered her voice to a whisper.

_"But this ship won't reach earth –"_

He put his fingers briefly to his lips, nodding in the direction of Carla, who was walking out the door.

"You've warned the captain about the risk carried in the cargo hold. They'll deal with it, Ace. This ship will land safely on earth."

She started to smile.

"You just saved three hundred lives."

_"Maybe…"_

Ace frowned.

"Maybe?"

The Doctor got off the treatment couch.

"I hope so. But who knows what will happen? If the explosion was nothing to do with the Master's virus, it could still happen. But we've done all we can to prevent it."

He slipped his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze.

"I think I stand a chance of surviving, it's not a cure but it's my only hope now."

They began to walk out of the lab.

"Are you scared?"

The Doctor stopped walking and looked into her eyes.

"Yes," he said in a hushed voice, "But I don't have a choice, and I _do_ have you to get me through it. Are _you_ scared, Ace?"

She wasn't going to lie to him.

"Of course I am."

He gave her hand another squeeze.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get back to the Tardis. The sooner she sets up her lab, the sooner I can get the treatment over with."

And then they left the room together, walked through the office and out into the corridor, heading in the direction of the Tardis, and in the time it took them to reach their destination neither spoke another word, but Ace's hand never left his grip for a second, she held on, just like she promised she would.

* * *

After several hours of having boxes and equipment moved into a room deep in the winding corridors of the Tardis, Carla was busy setting up her lab.

The Doctor waited with Ace in the console room as he checked the ship's functions.

"Why are you doing all this maintenance? Ace asked.

The Doctor closed a panel on the console and slipped his sonic screwdriver back into his pocket.

"No reason," he said leaning on the console as he spoke, "I just wanted to be certain the Tardis is fully functional, because it is linked to me and I was concerned its functions might be affected by the state of my health. But so far, so good."

And then he looked down at the controls, scratched his head and spoke up again.

"I might do a brief test flight – just take her out into space and then back to the ship, just to be sure she's functional."

And he checked his watch.

"I'll do it in a minute," he murmured, and then he gave a heavy sigh as he looked at Ace.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I didn't intend for things to work out like this. But I'm glad I married you. I love you, you deserve marriage, I couldn't have taken you and used you and treated you like what we had didn't matter. I could never cheapen that, Ace. I'm proud to be your husband."

Ace smiled as she looked at her Professor, he was so tired, so weak, and yet he still had a sparkle about him when he looked at her with love shining in his tired eyes.

"You'll never know how proud I am of you," she said softly, "You're so brave, my brave Professor…"

And she embraced him, and when she let go her eyes were filled with love and admiration.

"I hope you always feel that way," he remarked, and turned back to the controls.

Ace frowned.

"Of course I will. Why wouldn't I?"

The Doctor didn't answer her. Instead he checked the time again, and then he hit some buttons and threw a lever.

The crystal column in the centre of the console began to rise and fall as the Tardis whooshed and wheezed and the view from the window changed from the steel corridor of the Cassandra-Aurora to the darkness of space, and from the viewing port the ship could be seen in the distance, still on its way to earth.

"Great!" Ace said, "Everything works…now we'd better get back –"

"_No."_

He was leaning on the console, looking down at the controls.

"Professor, why can't we go back?"

Ace sounded confused.

The Doctor looked up and as he met her gaze she saw a very different expression to the one that had reflected the man she loved. His eyes had darkened, and when he spoke again, his voice was hushed.

"_Because there is no time to go back."_

And then the screen on the console indicated an incoming signal.

The Doctor opened the channel, to see the face of Captain Bracken looking back at him.

"Doctor? You just left the ship, we detected your movement on the scanner…do _not _return, I repeat, do not return! _The cargo hold was opened and the virus was booby trapped, resulting in an explosion. Airflow and life support systems now report we are infected with a deadly virus. We are a plague ship as of now. And I must make the decision to self-destruct._"

The Doctor slowly nodded.

Then the channel turned to static.

Ace was staring at the Doctor, he knew it, he could feel her eyes on him, accusing, angry, shocked…

"You knew…you _always_ knew!"

He looked up at her.

"_Yes,"_ he said quietly, _"And I made a decision."_

Ace was wondering what the decision had been, and then that _decision_ walked into the console room looking bewildered.

"What was that strange noise?" Carla stopped, staring at the sight of outer space and the Cassandra-Aurora in the distance.

"We're off the ship?"

"I had to test the flight controls. They're linked to me and as I'm unwell I wasn't sure my ship was still functioning. But it's fine."

He sounded distant. His eyes were fixed on the sight of the large silver ship floating against the blackness of space.

And then the vessel exploded, burning up brilliant white.

Ace gave a gasp as her eyes widened and she watched the ship dissolve into a fireball that scattered debris into deepest space.

Carla caught her breath, stumbled against the console and then gave a sob as the Doctor caught her, turned her away from the sight of the burning vessel and pressed her face against his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," he said to her as he held her, "The captain just messaged me telling us not to go back. It seems the Master set a booby trap in the cargo hold. They tried to remove the virus safely but there was an explosion and it turned them into a plague ship. _They had no choice._"

And as she wept against his shoulder he looked at Ace, who was staring at him in a way that reminded him of the days of Fenric, and the time he took her back to Gabriel Chase...

"_You knew…"_ she whispered.

* * *

The Doctor stopped embracing Carla and then put his arm around her and led her from the console room.

"You need to lie down for a while," he said kindly, "I know this has been a dreadful shock."

She was cold and shaking and the look in her eyes was one of utter devastation.

"_It should have been me,"_ she whispered, _"They all died – why not me? I belonged on that ship…with my colleagues…my friends…I shouldn't be here."_

"But you are!"

The Doctor stopped walking and placed his hands on her shoulders as they stood together in the Tardis corridor.

"Why _not_ you?" he asked her, "Why feel guilty about living? You fought so hard to save my life and you're _still_ fighting for me! If not for that, you would have been on that ship! It's about decisions, Carla, left or right turns…consequences, and no more than that. You're fighting for my life and I'm fighting too. Because of it we all survived. Think about that. _We have a common bond_."

Then he opened a door that led into a spare bedroom, and she half stumbled as he took her over to a soft bed and she sat down on it.

"Get some rest," he said gently, "Sleep, I can wait for you to prepare the formula, the implants are still functioning."

Carla lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, giving another sob.

The Doctor stood over her, running a hand over her long, raven shaded hair.

"That's right, you rest. Go to sleep, Carla. There's nothing to fear, the disaster happened and we can't change it, but you _are_ safe."

And then he left the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Ace was still in the console room.

As the Doctor walked in she looked down at the gold band on her finger, then back at the Doctor and anger still burned in her eyes.

"Did you know?"

"Know what?" he asked.

"Did you know that cargo hold was booby trapped?"

His eyes widened.

"No, Ace, I knew nothing about it! We did all we could to stop the ship from being destroyed - we could do no more! Did you want me to stay there, to wait it out purely to trust that I'd got it right when there were so many _other_ factors that could have led to that explosion? _Did you?_"

The rising anger in his eyes outweighed her own.

_"Should I have done that, Ace? Or was it better to play it safe and get out before the zero hour?"_

She paused, confusion clouding her eyes.

"But you brought Dr Bailey along just in case... you saved her because she's the only one who can treat the toxin! And you _never_ told her that!"

"She doesn't need to know," he said dismissively, "History played out the way it was supposed to. It was always the Master's trap that led to the destruction of that vessel. And Carla Bailey is safe and well and about to set up her lab, so she can build the formula."

Then he paused, and as the anger left his eyes, sorrow replaced it as he looked intently at Ace.

"Do you still want to stay?" he said quietly, "Because what I'm about to go through won't be easy to watch. I do need you but if you'd prefer me to leave you in Perivale and come back for you when it's all over, I'd understand."

And she looked into his eyes, saw how pale and tired he looked, how exhausted he had become from the confrontation with the Master. His shirt was stained with blood and deep shadows still hung beneath his eyes, reminding her how fragile he really was.

"What's it to be?" he said in a hushed voice, "Home on earth, or home here, with me, and all the pain I'm about to face? It's up to you. I don't want you to stay if you can't bear to watch me suffer, I love you too much to do that."

He was forgiven in an instant as Ace stepped forward and linked her hand with his.

"_Of course I'm with you, and I'm staying with you!" _she told him, and as she put her arms around him he clung to her, closing his eyes as he pressed his face against her shoulder, feeling thankful that he had been right about the girl from Perivale:

_Yes, she loved him and she would not leave him no matter how rough life got, she would weather the storm with him and come out of it the other side and still be holding on to his hand. And he felt grateful, because Ace was his strength now, and he knew Ace would never let go…_

End

**Author Note:**

**I hope this fic has been enjoyed by all who read it.**

**AND… There is a sequel to this story on the way very soon, and it is called "The Doctor's Mistress" ~ Aline Riva**


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